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GEAR TECHNOLOGY<br />
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006<br />
The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing<br />
www.geartechnology.com<br />
STATE<br />
OF THE<br />
GEAR<br />
INDUSTRY<br />
• Results of our Research<br />
TECHNICAL<br />
ARTICLES<br />
• Characteristics of Master <strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
• Optimization of Profile Grinding<br />
• Selecting Thermoplastic Materials<br />
THE GEAR INDUSTRY’S INFORMATION SOURCE
Grind<br />
with the<br />
experts<br />
Star-SU offers a comprehensive line of gear<br />
finishing, grinding, and tool resharpening<br />
technology for a variety of applications.<br />
Options that include on-the-machine inspection,<br />
automatic dressing or robotic automation are<br />
available. Star-SU offers economical single<br />
purpose or multiple purpose package solutions<br />
depending on the application need.<br />
With a long history of manufacturing gear<br />
cutting tools Star-SU has gained significant<br />
competency in applying its own machine tools to<br />
its manufacturing processes which include gear<br />
cutting tools of all types, master gears and<br />
screw compressor rotors.<br />
– Profile and continuous generating gear<br />
grinding/honing<br />
– Rotor, thread and broach grinding<br />
– Universal tool grinding<br />
– Hob grinding and resharpening<br />
– Shaper cutter grinding<br />
– Shaving cutter and master gear grinding<br />
– Carbide tool grinding<br />
– CBN and diamond plated profile grinding<br />
wheels<br />
Visit our website to<br />
download our complete<br />
program of products and<br />
find out the match for your<br />
particular need. We're<br />
closer than you may think.<br />
See us at AGMA Expo<br />
2003, Columbus, OH,<br />
in Booth 1134.<br />
Star-SU Inc.<br />
5200 Prairie Stone Parkway<br />
Suite 100<br />
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192<br />
Tel.:<br />
(847) 649-1450<br />
Fax: (847) 649-0112<br />
sales@star-su.com<br />
www.star-su.com<br />
GT 0503
Shave<br />
with the<br />
experts<br />
When it comes to shaving, nobody beats our quality.<br />
It is a well known fact that the accuracy of the shaving<br />
cutter serration plays a very important role in shaving<br />
cutter tool life and workpiece quality.<br />
Apart from excellent base materials Star-SU uses<br />
custom-made shaving cutter serrating machines for this<br />
process. The accuracy of the serration pitch and depth<br />
is one of the reasons why our shaving cutters are the<br />
choice of many satisfied customers in the US and all over<br />
the world.<br />
To maintain this superior quality and to meet your profile<br />
requirements like tip and root relief, crowning and<br />
other variables, we offer shaving cutter regrinding<br />
services in our Hoffman Estates service facility where<br />
we have the latest shaving cutter grinders available on<br />
the market.<br />
Not only are we experts in shaving cutter applications<br />
but we also offer a complete range of gear cutting tools<br />
for hobbing, shaping, grinding and chamfering-deburring<br />
as well as master gears.<br />
Call us. We're closer than you may think.<br />
Star-SU Inc.<br />
5200 Prairie Stone Parkway<br />
Suite 100<br />
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192<br />
Tel.: +1 (847) 649-1450<br />
Fax: +1 (847) 649-0112<br />
sales@star-su.com<br />
Your global source<br />
for gear technology<br />
Star-SU Inc.<br />
23461 Industrial Park Drive<br />
Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2855<br />
Tel.: (248) 474-8200<br />
Fax: (248) 474-9518<br />
sales@star-su.com<br />
www.star-su.com<br />
GT 0403
GEAR TECHNOLOGY<br />
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006<br />
The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing<br />
FEATURES<br />
TECHNICAL ARTICLES<br />
The State of the <strong>Gear</strong> Industry<br />
Results of our research on trends in sales, production, capital spending and more.........18<br />
It's All About the Science at the <strong>Gear</strong> Research Institute<br />
28 Why we need more focus on cooperative research……………………………………..28<br />
96T, 64P<br />
Characteristics of Master <strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
How a master gear’s number of teeth affects tooth-to-tooth composite error.……….…32<br />
100T, 63.5P<br />
Optimization of the <strong>Gear</strong> Profile Grinding Process Utilizing an Analogy<br />
Process<br />
32 Analyzing the causes of grinding burn……………………………………………..…...34<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Design: Multipoint Properties are Key to Selecting Thermoplastic<br />
Materials<br />
Temperature and other factors affect thermoplastic gear performance......……………..42<br />
34<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
Publisher’s Page<br />
Bigger, Better and More Often...........................................................................................7<br />
Product News<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> machines for small parts, plus other new products for the gear industry..................9<br />
Events<br />
9 <strong>Gear</strong> China, plus our technical calendar...........................................................................50<br />
Industry News<br />
The latest from the gear industry......................................................................................54<br />
Advertiser Index<br />
Use this directory to get information fast.........................................................................60<br />
Classifieds<br />
Services, Heat Treating and <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing............................................................61<br />
50<br />
Addendum<br />
Galleria <strong>Gear</strong>s……………...............................................................................................64<br />
2 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • www.geartechnology.com • www.powertransmission.com
Our business is to help make your business succeed.<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
KAPP Technologies<br />
2870 Wilderness Place Boulder, CO 80301<br />
Ph: 303-447-1130 Fx: 303-447-1131<br />
www.kapp-usa.com info@kapp-usa.com
See The New<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
GEAR TECHNOLOGY<br />
The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief<br />
Michael Goldstein<br />
Managing Editor William R. Stott<br />
Senior Editor Jack McGuinn<br />
Assistant Editor Robin Wright<br />
TOP<br />
SECRET<br />
January/February 2007<br />
Editorial Consultant Paul R. Goldstein<br />
Technical Editors<br />
Robert Errichello, Don McVittie,<br />
Robert E. Smith, Dan Thurman<br />
Guest Technical Editor<br />
Ernie Reiter<br />
ART<br />
Art Director Kathleen O'Hara<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
Advertising Sales Manager Ryan King<br />
CIRCULATION<br />
Circulation Manager Carol Tratar<br />
INTERNET<br />
Web Developer Dan MacKenzie<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Industry Home Page Sales<br />
Ryan King<br />
powertransmission.com Sales<br />
Jim King<br />
<br />
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PERRY JOHNSON<br />
REGISTRARS, INC.<br />
<br />
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RANDALL PUBLISHING STAFF<br />
President<br />
Vice President<br />
Accounting<br />
Michael Goldstein<br />
Richard Goldstein<br />
Luann Harrold<br />
Phone: 847-437-6604<br />
E-mail: wrs@geartechnology.com<br />
Web: www.geartechnology.com<br />
www.powertransmission.com<br />
VOL. 23, NO. 6<br />
GEAR TECHNOLOGY, The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing<br />
(ISSN 0743-6858) is published bimonthly by Randall Publishing,<br />
Inc., 1425 Lunt Avenue, P.O. Box 1426, Elk Grove Village, IL<br />
60007, (847) 437-6604. Cover price $5.00 U.S. Periodical postage<br />
paid at Arlington Heights, IL, and at additional mailing office<br />
(USPS No. 749-290). Randall Publishing makes every effort to<br />
ensure that the processes described in GEAR TECHNOLOGY<br />
conform to sound engineering practice. Neither the authors nor the<br />
publisher can be held responsible for injuries sustained while following<br />
the procedures described. Postmaster: Send address changes<br />
to GEAR TECHNOLOGY, The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing,<br />
1425 Lunt Avenue, P.O. Box 1426, Elk Grove Village, IL, 60007.<br />
©Contents copyrighted by RANDALL PUBLISHING, INC., 2006.<br />
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any<br />
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,<br />
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval<br />
system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Contents<br />
of ads are subject to Publisher’s approval.<br />
4 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • www.geartechnology.com • www.powertransmission.com
Flexibility is our strength.<br />
Liebherr gear grinding technology.<br />
CBN or Dressable Generating and Form Grinding<br />
Our knowledge of the entire spectrum of gear grinding – the machine,<br />
grinding tools and application technology – can make your technical<br />
visions a reality. Together, we will establish the best solutions to reach<br />
your goals.<br />
Your success is the way we measure our performance.<br />
SIGMA<br />
POOL<br />
For the US-market please contact: Liebherr <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> Inc. . 1465 Woodland Drive . Saline, Michigan 48176-1259<br />
Phone: 001-734-429-7225 . info.lgt@liebherr.com
A/W Systems Co. is your quality alternative manufacturing source of spiral gear roughing and finishing cutters and bodies.<br />
We can also manufacture new spiral cutter bodies in diameters of 5" through 12" at present.<br />
A/W can also supply roughing and finishing cutters for most 5"–12" diameter bodies.<br />
Whether it’s service or manufacturing, consider us as an alternative source for cutters and bodies.<br />
You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.<br />
1901 Larchwood<br />
Troy, MI 48083<br />
Tel: (248) 524-0778 • Fax: (248) 524-0779
PUBLISHER’S PAGE<br />
Coming Soon!<br />
The New <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>–Bigger! Better! More Often!<br />
Psst! Hey buddy, can you keep a<br />
secret?<br />
For some time there’ve been<br />
rumors coming out of the Randall<br />
Publishing skunkworks. People have<br />
been curious about the lights being on<br />
at all hours of the night. Until now,<br />
only hints have escaped the locked<br />
doors and closed blinds about what’s<br />
going on over there.<br />
Well, I’ve been inside, and I know<br />
what they’re up to. Don’t tell anyone,<br />
but the folks at <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> are<br />
planning all kinds of changes, including a major redesign—the first<br />
in more than 10 years and only the third in the <strong>magazine</strong>’s 23-year<br />
history.<br />
I’m not supposed to be telling you this yet, but I can’t keep it<br />
a secret any more. They’ve kept it pretty well under wraps, what<br />
with all the clandestine meetings and such, but just between you<br />
and me, this project is much further along than anyone has let on.<br />
In fact, <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>’s redesign is scheduled to launch with the<br />
January/February 2007 issue.<br />
The staff at <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> is doing its best to keep this thing<br />
quiet, but the excitement about this new project is obvious. The<br />
whole place is abuzz with redesign fever, and the buzz words seem<br />
to be “BIGGER,” “BETTER” and “MORE OFTEN.”<br />
Everyone’s talking about bigger ideas, bigger photos, and a<br />
bigger presence than the <strong>magazine</strong> already has. The editors mean to<br />
bring readers more in-depth features, more quality technical articles<br />
and more relevant news and product information than ever before.<br />
Now, remember, you didn’t hear this from me. But those of you<br />
who advertise in <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> will be interested to learn that the<br />
<strong>magazine</strong>’s staff is also talking about bigger and better circulation.<br />
They’re saying that the electronic version of the <strong>magazine</strong> has really<br />
taken off (nearly 3,000 electronic subscribers*), and they’re planning<br />
to do even more international mailing in 2007. In fact, they’re<br />
planning to blanket China and India with bonus distribution of the<br />
January/February and May 2007 issues, respectively.<br />
But bigger isn’t good enough for <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>. The editors<br />
and staff want to make the <strong>magazine</strong> “better” as well. They’re working<br />
on everything, including the cover design, the layout, the content<br />
and the subjects covered. They’re doing everything they can to make<br />
the best <strong>magazine</strong> even better.<br />
Fans of the old version need not worry, though. These people<br />
haven’t forgotten where they came from—far from it! They’re<br />
working on improving all the things that have set <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
apart over the years, like the top-notch, peer-reviewed, unbiased<br />
technical articles; the timely, relevant, well-researched feature<br />
articles; the best news sections in the business; and a qualified and<br />
audited circulation of subscribers who request the <strong>magazine</strong>.<br />
The secret’s also out on what the <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> staffers<br />
mean by “more often.” <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> will be published eight<br />
times in 2007 instead of just six. The schedule will run something<br />
like this: January/February, March/April, May, June, July, August,<br />
September/October and November/December.<br />
* Statistics based on publisher's own data.<br />
TOP<br />
SECRET<br />
I wanted to smuggle out a mock-up<br />
of the first issue so you could see <strong>Gear</strong><br />
<strong>Technology</strong>’s new look, but the staff has<br />
been very protective about the redesign, and<br />
I didn’t want them to know who leaked this<br />
information. But I’ve seen it, and I have to<br />
tell you that the new look is inspiring. The<br />
new <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> is going to be sleek,<br />
clean and professional. Its powerful presentation<br />
will be easy to read and pleasing to the<br />
eye, with great photography and graphics.<br />
All of these changes will also be reflected<br />
online at www.geartechnology.com, where<br />
they’re getting more than 30,000 unique visits per month.<br />
Many of you may be wondering what’s happening with the<br />
second <strong>magazine</strong>, <strong>Gear</strong> Product News. It was announced at IMTS<br />
that <strong>Gear</strong> Product News would publish its last issue in December<br />
2006. Strangely, though, there’s been an awful lot of activity in that<br />
section of the building as well.<br />
This next part was supposed to be a surprise, but as long you’ve<br />
got me spilling secrets, I might as well tell you that the powertransmission.com<br />
people have taken over the space that used to be<br />
occupied by <strong>Gear</strong> Product News, and they’re planning to launch a<br />
powertransmission.com printed <strong>magazine</strong> in the Spring. It makes<br />
sense, if you think about it. powertransmission.com will celebrate<br />
its 10th anniversary in January, and we’ve been getting loads of<br />
traffic—75,000 unique visits per month—including buyers of gears,<br />
bearings, motors and other power transmission products all that<br />
time. The new <strong>magazine</strong> will take the same unbiased, educational<br />
approach that has served <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> so well all these years.<br />
The target audience for powertransmission.com <strong>magazine</strong> will<br />
be design engineers, maintenance and facility managers and purchasing<br />
professionals, just like the website. If you’re a gear manufacturer<br />
looking for new customers, powertransmission.com—in<br />
print or online—is just the right vehicle for you.<br />
By the time you read this, there will even be a space on the<br />
website where you can sign up to receive the new <strong>magazine</strong>. Just go<br />
to www.powertransmission.com. The link will be right there on the<br />
home page. You can’t miss it.<br />
I hope you’re as excited about these new changes as I am. I’d<br />
love to be able to tell you more, but I’m afraid someone might find<br />
out about our little conversation here. Besides, you’ll see it for<br />
yourself next issue.<br />
If anybody asks, you never saw me here.<br />
Michael Goldstein<br />
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 7
Introducing 2 New Bevel <strong>Gear</strong> Grades<br />
ETC-805 & ETC-807<br />
and GCS “<strong>Gear</strong> Cutting Systems” Division<br />
NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN TROY, MI.<br />
We offer the<br />
following<br />
PVD coatings<br />
from<br />
Oerlikon<br />
Balzers Coating:<br />
● BALINIT® ALCRONA (AlCrN)<br />
● BALINIT® FUTURA NANO (TiAlN)<br />
● BALINIT® HELICA (AlCrN)<br />
● BALINIT® A (TiN)<br />
● BALINIT® X-TREME (TiAlN)<br />
● HSS Grades Available<br />
REX 76, M4, ASP30<br />
● Rough Form Wire Service<br />
● Cutter Bodies Repaired<br />
● TRI-AC ® , RSR ® , RIDG-AC ® , HARDAC ® ,<br />
SPIRON II ® Style Blades and Others<br />
TRI-AC ® , RIDG-AC ® , HARDAC ® and RSR ® are registered<br />
trademarks of The Gleason Works, Rochester, New York<br />
SPIRON ® II is a registered trademark of Klingelnberg AG,<br />
Zurich (Switzerland)<br />
ETC<br />
ETC-805 and ETC-807<br />
are two Specially Formulated carbide Grades<br />
developed exclusively for High performance<br />
Bevel gear manufacturing, as is our highly<br />
successful ETC-809. All 3 Grades teamed<br />
with BALINIT PVD coatings enable us to approach<br />
each and every specific application in the bevel<br />
gear industry for<br />
OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE.<br />
Call Ross Deneau Today!<br />
to get a quote on Reconditioning your cutter bodies<br />
at<br />
Our new manufacturing facility in Troy, MI.<br />
PH: (248) 619-1616 • FAX: (248) 619-1717<br />
rdeneau@engineeredtools.com<br />
Engineered Tools Corporation<br />
Manufacturer of Precision Spiral Bevel <strong>Gear</strong> Tooling<br />
And Reconditioning of Bevel Cutter Bodies<br />
Engineered Tools Corporation<br />
2710 West Caro Rd. Caro, MI 48723<br />
PH: (989) 673-8733<br />
FAX: (989) 673-5886<br />
To View<br />
Our Complete Product Line<br />
www.engineeredtools.com
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
Affolter Introduces <strong>Gear</strong> Machines for Watches & Medical Instruments<br />
Affolter Technologies SA of<br />
watch industry.<br />
Malleray, Switzerland, has introduced<br />
Affolter Pignons, which today<br />
a new line of gear hobbing and micromilling<br />
manufactures more than 30 million<br />
machines for the manufacture<br />
gear trains per year, created its own<br />
of small gears, worms and similar<br />
demand for new and updated machine<br />
parts used in watches and medical<br />
tools. So, in 1991, Affolter Pignons<br />
and dental instruments.<br />
started up a new, separate company<br />
The <strong>Gear</strong> AF100 gear cutting center,<br />
to develop its machine tool capa-<br />
introduced a year ago at EMO,<br />
bilities. That company is now Affolter<br />
is an eight-axis CNC gear hobbing<br />
Technologies SA. In the beginning,<br />
machine for cutting parts up to 36<br />
Affolter Technologies worked mainly<br />
mm diameter and 50 mm length. The<br />
on machine retrofits, working with<br />
machine can cut spur, helical, tapered<br />
lathes and gear hobbing machines.<br />
or convex teeth on gears, shafts and<br />
In 1996, Affolter entered into a<br />
pinions, either by hobbing or toothby-tooth<br />
partnership with Wahli to develop<br />
using an indexed milling<br />
an eight-axis CNC hobbing machine.<br />
cutter.<br />
That machine was the Wahli W100.<br />
Parts are held between centers and are<br />
direct-driven by two independent motor<br />
spindles. The cutting tool is driven by a<br />
third motor spindle. All three spindles are<br />
electronically synchronized, with rotation<br />
speeds of up to 16,000 rpm.<br />
The <strong>Gear</strong> AF110 micro-milling center,<br />
introduced in September at the AMB<br />
show in Stuttgart, Germany, is designed<br />
scales for positive feedback, with system<br />
resolution less than 1 µm.<br />
Affolter has developed and built<br />
machine tools for more than 10 years,<br />
says Raymond Graf, sales and marketing<br />
manager. But until recently, those<br />
machines were manufactured for the use<br />
of sister company Affolter Pignons SA, a<br />
manufacturer primarily serving the Swiss<br />
However, about two years ago, Affolter<br />
decided to redesign the machine and<br />
begin marketing it under its own name,<br />
Graf says.<br />
Over time, Affolter Technologies<br />
has developed expertise in a number of<br />
areas of machine tool manufacture. The<br />
company makes its own CNC controls—<br />
including both hardware and software<br />
for gear hobbing, screw cutting<br />
development—as well as its<br />
and micro-milling.<br />
own spindles, “the most important<br />
The AF110 is also capable<br />
mechanical component of<br />
of hobbing gears up to 36 mm<br />
the machine,” Graf says.<br />
diameter and 50 mm length.<br />
“We wanted to master the<br />
However, unlike the AF100,<br />
whole technology,” Graf says.<br />
the AF110 has no tailstock<br />
“First we only did retrofits of<br />
motor spindle, which allows the<br />
existing machines, and finally,<br />
cutting spindle to be inclined<br />
we got all the know-how to<br />
up to 90° for machining worms,<br />
develop the machine completely.”<br />
straight bevel or face gears,<br />
bone screws and other medical<br />
The company has two more<br />
or dental tools and parts. With<br />
gear machine models in the<br />
the AF110, the part is colletclamped<br />
works. The <strong>Gear</strong> AF90 will be<br />
and may be supported<br />
a high-productivity gear hob-<br />
by a tailstock center, steady rest<br />
bing machine. The first AF90 is<br />
or guide bushing.<br />
scheduled to be completed and<br />
Both machines have mineral-cast<br />
presented to a customer by the<br />
frames, designed to<br />
end of 2006, Graf says.<br />
provide thermal stability and<br />
In addition, Affolter is<br />
vibration absorption. All linear<br />
working on the <strong>Gear</strong> AF120, an<br />
axes have direct measurement<br />
eight-axis CNC micro-grinding<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 9
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
machine, equipped with an 80,000-rpm<br />
grinding head motor spindle. The AF120<br />
is designed for grinding gears, tools and<br />
parts for the medical sector. The machine<br />
will be available early in 2007, Graf<br />
says.<br />
For more information:<br />
Eastech Systems Inc.<br />
P.O. Box 6018<br />
S. Hackensack, NJ 07606<br />
Phone: (201) 489-8847<br />
Fax: (201) 489-0048<br />
E-mail: cdeastech@mindspring.com<br />
Affolter Technologies SA<br />
Grand Rue 76<br />
CH-2735 Malleray<br />
Phone: +(41) 32-491-7000<br />
Fax: +(41) 32-491-7005<br />
E-mail: raymond.graf@affelec.ch<br />
Internet: www.affelec.ch<br />
SPV Spintec’s Automatic<br />
Deburring<br />
Machine Designed<br />
Especially for <strong>Gear</strong> Wheels<br />
The new D-Burro-Mat 68 2006<br />
automatic deburring machine from SPV<br />
Spintec is designed for deburring of gear<br />
wheels, flanges and other circular symmetrical<br />
components.<br />
The machine allows variable settings<br />
in length, height and machining angle<br />
between the spindle and rotating table<br />
for machining various workpieces. Other<br />
features include six programmable presettings<br />
of machining time, a signal input<br />
for controlled start from robot manipulator,<br />
and a signal output for custom<br />
requirements, such as maneuver signals<br />
for pneumatic chucks.<br />
According to the company’s press<br />
release, the speed of rotation of the grinding<br />
spindle ranges from 15,000 to 36,000<br />
rpm. The maximum weight of the workpiece<br />
is 12 kg.<br />
Accessories include an enclosure<br />
in acrylic, pneumatic or servo gripping<br />
chuck. The deburring machine can be<br />
1 0 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
profilator_ad 7/10/06 3:15 PM Page 1<br />
www.american-wera.com<br />
Don't spec a new machine<br />
until you inspect a Profilator!<br />
• Polygon & face slot<br />
machining<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> & spline cutting<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> tooth pointing<br />
• Shifter stop machining<br />
• Rotary chamfer/deburring<br />
• Bevel gear deburring<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> tooth rounding<br />
• Dry machining modules tailored to precision processing of gears,<br />
polygon milling, pointing, shifter tops or deburring.<br />
• Workpiece synchronization provides the ultimate in manufacturing flexibility.<br />
• Utilize short cycle times, while enjoying a high quality machine<br />
on a favorable delivery schedule.<br />
Call today for details.<br />
4630 Freedom Drive • Ann Arbor, MI 48108 • 734.973.7800 • fax 734.973.3053
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
supplied with a maximum of four grinding<br />
spindles controlled by one or two<br />
frequency inverters for simultaneous or<br />
divided speeds.<br />
For more information:<br />
SPV Spintec AB<br />
Box 303<br />
SE-631 04 Eskilstuna<br />
Sweden<br />
Phone: (46) 16-12-54-70<br />
E-mail: info@spintec.se<br />
Internet: www.spintec.se<br />
Bryant Grinder’s New<br />
Software Enables Lean<br />
Production for any<br />
Machine Tool<br />
Rugged, Reliable, Repeatable<br />
...For 75 Years!<br />
• Applicable to Spur and Helical <strong>Gear</strong>s!<br />
• Gage the Part at the Machine!<br />
Pitch<br />
Diameter<br />
Major<br />
Diameter<br />
Minor<br />
Diameter<br />
For all your<br />
gaging needs,<br />
Comtorgage it!<br />
Analog Dial or<br />
Digital Readout<br />
COMTOR<br />
SPLINE<br />
GAGES<br />
Comtorgage Corporation<br />
(since 1928)<br />
Phone: (401) 765-0900 • Fax (401) 765-2846<br />
www.comtorgage.com<br />
Internal or<br />
External Spline<br />
Measurement<br />
Made Easy!<br />
Still using micrometers<br />
and pins method?<br />
Comtor Spline Gages<br />
make pitch diameter<br />
measurement quick,<br />
easy and accurate!<br />
1 2 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m<br />
®<br />
®<br />
Bryant Grinder, a division of Vermont<br />
Machine Tool, released the Revelations<br />
software, a Microsoft Windows-based,<br />
CNC control software designed to make<br />
machine tools more efficient, more flexible,<br />
and easier to operate.<br />
“Revelations software reduces operator<br />
training, programming time, cycle and<br />
setup time, and scrap,” says Craig Barrett,<br />
president of Bryant Grinder. He adds that,<br />
with optional online Ethernet support,<br />
Bryant Grinder engineers in Vermont can<br />
troubleshoot and solve a software, electrical,<br />
hydraulic or pneumatic issue with a<br />
machine that is anywhere in the world.<br />
“Using Revelations software increases<br />
a shop’s flexibility on many levels,”<br />
Barrett added. “The software can run on<br />
any grinder, lathe, machining center, hobber,<br />
gear shaper, or special machine that<br />
uses a PC-based controller.”<br />
Operator training on Revelations software<br />
takes only a couple of hours. Training<br />
is simplified because operators use only<br />
one screen to run the entire machine, and<br />
programmers use only one screen for<br />
flowchart programming. Online documentation,<br />
such as help screens and links<br />
via help text, is available at the machine,<br />
too, guiding the operator through each<br />
step in the process. All hydraulic, electrical,<br />
and pneumatic diagrams are available<br />
online. The software also graphically displays<br />
dressing forms and grinding profiles<br />
on grinding applications.
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
“Revelations software makes the<br />
machine shop flexible on several levels,”<br />
says Barrett.<br />
Engineers using browser-enabled<br />
workstations on a company’s network<br />
can easily program one or more machines<br />
on the shop floor using Revelations software<br />
visual flowcharts. The programming<br />
automatically generates the G-code<br />
and downloads it into the control.<br />
Engineers can also generate production<br />
estimates from their workstations<br />
without running machines, which allows<br />
them to reduce setup time and manipulate<br />
cycles to fit production requirements.<br />
Revelations software can control<br />
multiple machines in a shop—so<br />
operators can run more machines and<br />
be more productive. Additionally, it<br />
has an unlimited range of speeds and<br />
feeds, not relying on typical canned<br />
cycles, and it helps engineers collect<br />
data and manage machines based on<br />
that data.<br />
At present, Revelations software is<br />
being used on machines grinding fuel<br />
systems components.<br />
For more information:<br />
Bryant Grinder<br />
65 Pearl St.<br />
Springfield, VT 05156<br />
Phone: (802) 885-4521<br />
Internet: www.vermontmachinetool.com<br />
New precision internal gears from<br />
Sterling Instrument are available from<br />
stock in inch and metric sizes.<br />
The 20° pressure angle inch gears,<br />
identified as the S1E62Z- Series, are<br />
offered in 303 stainless steel or 2024-T4<br />
anodized aluminum. The metric gears,<br />
identified as the S1E05ZM, S1E08ZM<br />
and S1E10ZM Series, are supplied in 303<br />
stainless steel.<br />
The metric gears in Modules 0.5, 0.8,<br />
and 1 are ISO Class 7 and are stocked in<br />
5, 8 and 10 mm face widths. They have<br />
from 60 to 120 teeth, and outside diam-<br />
Sterling Instrument’s New<br />
Precision Internal <strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
Selectable by Inches or<br />
Millimeters<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 1 3
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
eters ranging from 50–150 mm. The inch<br />
gears are stocked in 24, 32, 48, 64, 72<br />
and 96 pitch.<br />
According to the company’s press<br />
release, the metric gears are AGMA Q10<br />
with a 1/8" face width. They have from<br />
20–300 teeth and outside diameters ranging<br />
from 1.998–3.998".<br />
INNOVATIVE,<br />
DYNAMIC,<br />
CREATIVE,<br />
CHALLENGING.<br />
JOIN US!<br />
For more information:<br />
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument<br />
2101 Jericho Turnpike Rd.<br />
New Hyde Park, NY 11042<br />
Phone: (516) 328-3300<br />
Internet: www.sdp-si.com<br />
Apache by<br />
Boeing,<br />
transmissions<br />
by Purdy.<br />
Immediate Opportunities in<br />
Challenging Aerospace Careers.<br />
The Purdy Corporation is a leader in manufacturing flight critical<br />
Jet engine and rotor components including<br />
gears, gear boxes and transmissions for<br />
OEMs and the United States Government.<br />
Aerospace manufacturing opportunities offering<br />
stability, job satisfaction and growth are available<br />
in the following areas of expertise;<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Management - Aerospace Manufacturing<br />
• CNC Programming (Unigraphics) -<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Box Housings, High Speed Machining,<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Engineering - Process, Planning & Manufacturing<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Machining - Spiral Bevel and Parallel Axis • ID/OD Grinding<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Metrology • <strong>Gear</strong> Box Assembly and Testing<br />
Excellent benefit and relocation packages.<br />
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.<br />
Take your career to a whole new level, contact us at<br />
860.649.0000 Ext. 226 or e-Mail to finance@purdytransmissions.com<br />
New Potentiometer From<br />
Nireco Produces Dance Roll<br />
Position Feedback Signals<br />
Nireco America Corp. introduces the<br />
Series 2699 geared dancer roll potentiometer.<br />
The heavy-duty, high-precision<br />
geared potentiometer is designed<br />
to produce dance roll position feedback<br />
signals.<br />
According to the company’s press<br />
release, the new control offers more than<br />
700 gear ratios from 0.06–25 turns, which<br />
eliminates the need for external gearing<br />
or timing drives. The dual-bearing design<br />
and a 1/2" input shaft handles up to 80<br />
lbs. of radial load.<br />
Since it does not contain internal<br />
stops, the unit cannot be damaged by<br />
excessive dancer roll travel. It is rated to<br />
1W and provides more than 1% linearity<br />
with essentially infinite resolution.<br />
Complete PID and tension control circuits<br />
are also available.<br />
For more information:<br />
Nireco America<br />
11 Rebel Lane<br />
Port Jervis, NY 12771<br />
Phone: (845) 856-4053<br />
E-mail: info@nirecoam.com<br />
Internet: www.nirecoam.com<br />
TEAM<br />
APACHE<br />
Proud Supporters of<br />
America’s Military.<br />
1 4 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
Nitrex Develops New<br />
Small-Scale Furnaces<br />
Rex-Cut’s Fiber-Mounted<br />
Points Reveal Fresh<br />
Abrasives<br />
New cotton fiber-mounted points from<br />
Rex-Cut Products expose fresh abrasives<br />
as they work to deburr and finish in one<br />
step with chatter-free performance.<br />
According to the company’s press<br />
release, the mounted points deburr and<br />
finish precision machined, cast and<br />
extruded parts. Providing smooth, controlled<br />
grinding with limited vibration,<br />
they come in various shapes, sizes, grits<br />
and bonds for use on all hard and soft<br />
WE LOVE<br />
The new NX-400 series of nitriding<br />
and nitrocarburizing systems from<br />
Nitrex Metal is designed for use in smallscale<br />
processing, as well as for general<br />
laboratory and testing purposes.<br />
According to the company’s press<br />
release, the furnaces have a compact<br />
construction that makes efficient use of<br />
restricted floor space in a plant.<br />
Available in three standard sizes,<br />
ranging in workload capacity from 440–<br />
880 lbs., the furnace, control system<br />
and auxiliary equipment are integrated<br />
and mounted on a platform for secure<br />
transport by forklift. Alternatively, the<br />
system may be physically separated<br />
back into individual components at the<br />
customer’s request.<br />
The NX-400 series comes plugand-play<br />
ready, which simplifies<br />
installation.<br />
For more information:<br />
Nitrex Metal Inc.<br />
3474 Poirer Boulevard<br />
St. Laurent, QC H4R 2J5<br />
Canada<br />
Phone: (514) 335-7191 ext. 151<br />
E-mail: paul.gofas@nitrex.com<br />
THE DAILY<br />
GRIND.<br />
And we’re grinding more gears every day. Because more and<br />
more customers are discovering Schafer’s exceptional quality<br />
and capabilities. We produce spur, helical and bevel gears (straight<br />
and spiral). Internal gears, worm and worm gears. Pinions. Sun.<br />
You name it. What’s more, our unique partnership with selected<br />
overseas producers, including ground spiral bevel gears from Italy<br />
and machined components from India and China, increase your<br />
savings and enhance our service to you. Call us. We’re geared up<br />
to grind out the best solutions to your needs.<br />
SOUTH BEND, IN • ROCKFORD, IL<br />
www.schafer<br />
gear.com<br />
574-234-4116<br />
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PRODUCT NEWS<br />
metals, and will not change their<br />
geometry.<br />
Featuring multiple layers of nonwoven<br />
cotton fiber and abrasive<br />
grains pressed and bonded together,<br />
the mounted points come in barrel,<br />
bullet, conical and round shapes with<br />
1/8" and 1/4" shanks. They are suitable for<br />
deburring, blending, finishing and edgebreaking<br />
applications on stainless steel,<br />
Inconel, titanium and mild steel and are<br />
non-loading on aluminum.<br />
For more information:<br />
Rex-Cut Products Inc.<br />
960 Airport Rd.<br />
P.O. Box 2109<br />
Fall River, MA 02722<br />
Phone: (800) 225-8182<br />
Fax: (800) 638-8501<br />
E-mail: bob@rexcut.com<br />
Internet: www.rexcut.com<br />
Danaher Motion’s Planetary<br />
<strong>Gear</strong>heads Require No<br />
Maintenance<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Danaher Motion’s Micron<br />
ValueTRUE planetary gearheads are a<br />
more economical extension to Danaher<br />
Motion’s family of MicronTRUEe planetary<br />
gearheads.<br />
ValueTRUE provides precise operation<br />
with four arc-mins of backlash.<br />
They are available in eight frame sizes<br />
from 60–200mm with inline and right<br />
angle configurations. <strong>Gear</strong>heads are<br />
RediMount-compliant for mounting to<br />
any motor in three steps—simply align,<br />
mount and tighten. ValueTRUE gearheads<br />
are lubricated for life, require no<br />
maintenance and feature a stainless steel<br />
output housing required in harsh application<br />
environments.<br />
<br />
For more information:<br />
Danaher Motion<br />
1500 Mittel Blvd.<br />
Wood Dale, IL 60191<br />
Phone: (630) 694-3326<br />
E-mail: ContactUs@DanaherMotion.com<br />
Internet: www.DanaherMotion.com<br />
1 6 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
SINK SOME TEETH INTO YOUR SALES!<br />
OCTOBER 7–10, 2007 • DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA<br />
Exhibit at GEAR EXPO 2007<br />
8 Join the largest collection of gear experts in the world at GEAR EXPO 2007 in<br />
Detroit — the center of the power transmission industry.<br />
Sell to New Markets<br />
8 Key buyers from more than 30 countries will be on hand to view your<br />
products and services.<br />
Introduce Buyers to Your Product Line<br />
8 Visitors to GEAR EXPO can boost your bottom line — more than 80% have<br />
buying and specifying authority.<br />
The Decision Is Easy! Sign Up Today!<br />
www.gearexpo.com<br />
Owned and Produced by the American <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturers Association<br />
Contact us via e-mail: gearexpo@agma.org or call: (703) 684-0211
1 8 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
State of the <strong>Gear</strong> Industry<br />
91% of <strong>Gear</strong> Industry Respondents are Optimistic<br />
About their Ability to Compete over the next 5 Years<br />
1%<br />
Extremely<br />
Pessimistic<br />
1%<br />
Fairly<br />
Pessimistic<br />
4%<br />
Slightly<br />
Pessimistic 3%<br />
Undecided<br />
28%<br />
Extremely<br />
Optimistic 49%<br />
Fairly<br />
Optimistic<br />
14%<br />
Slightly<br />
Optimistic<br />
Based on the chart above, gear manufacturers are clearly<br />
optimistic about 2007 and beyond. They’ve been riding a wave<br />
of increased employment, increased sales and increased production.<br />
Nearly all involved in gear manufacturing believe in their<br />
companies, their technology and their processes.<br />
It’s safe to say the gear industry has a positive outlook.<br />
Of course, the optimism shown by these results reflects a<br />
worldwide gear manufacturing economy that has been strong<br />
over the last few years. If you make gears these days, chances<br />
are good that you’re pretty busy.<br />
But that doesn’t mean that you aren’t concerned.<br />
The results presented here are biased. They aren’t representative<br />
of the entire gear industry, nor are they representative of<br />
all of its facets. For example, this survey definitely underrepresents<br />
the thousands of Americans who manufacture gears for<br />
automotive transmissions and axles—and that industry, at least<br />
in America, continues to struggle.<br />
“Our highest-volume products are tied to trucks and SUVs,<br />
which have fallen out of favor due to higher fuel prices,” said a<br />
design engineer for a U.S. Tier One automotive supplier. “We<br />
either need new products, new customers or both.”<br />
Another automotive industry respondent said, “This facility<br />
is closing and production is being moved to low-cost countries,<br />
like India, Poland and China.”<br />
A number of other respondents mentioned that the automotive<br />
industry downturn was negatively affecting their businesses.<br />
In October, <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> conducted an anonymous survey of<br />
gear manufacturers. Invitations were sent by e-mail to thousands of<br />
individuals around the world. More than 300 individuals at gear manufacturing<br />
locations responded to the online survey, answering questions<br />
about their manufacturing operations and current challenges facing<br />
their businesses.<br />
The respondents considered here all work at locations where gears,<br />
splines, sprockets, worms and similar products are manufactured. They<br />
work for gear manufacturing job shops (45%), captive shops at OEMs<br />
(53%) and shops manufacturing gears for maintenance, spares and their<br />
own use (2%).<br />
The survey covers gear manufacturing around the world, with 57%<br />
of respondents working in the United States, and 43% outside the United<br />
States.<br />
A full breakdown of respondents can be found at the end of this<br />
article.<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 1 9
Sharing Knowledge<br />
<br />
<br />
SWISS<br />
Quality<br />
<br />
Calculation programs for machine design<br />
Leading calculation software<br />
for efficient gear box design<br />
Modeling of gearboxes and drivetrains for<br />
strength analysis<br />
Automatic calculations of power flow and load<br />
Duty Cycles on a system level<br />
Calculation of load spectra for all machine<br />
elements included in the model<br />
Perform sensitivity analysis automatically<br />
Automatically generate documentation for a<br />
complete gearbox analysis<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Design and analysis of all major transmission<br />
elements<br />
<strong>Gear</strong>s, shafts, bearings, hubs & connections<br />
Spur, helical, bevel, worm, crossed axis & face gears<br />
Basic and final design optimization tools unique<br />
in the industry<br />
Current standards implemented: AGMA, ISO,<br />
DIN, ANSI, VDI, FKM<br />
Comprehensive reports<br />
CAD interfaces (Inventor, Solid Edge, SolidWorks,<br />
Unigraphics, Catia)<br />
Our office in the USA<br />
KISSsoft, USA, LLC<br />
3719 N. Spring Grove Road<br />
Johnsburg, Illinois 60050<br />
(815) 363-8823<br />
dan.kondritz@KISSsoft.com<br />
www.KISSsoft.com<br />
54% of <strong>Gear</strong> Industry Respondents Work at<br />
Locations Where Employment Increased in 2006<br />
40%<br />
30%<br />
20%<br />
10%<br />
0%<br />
53% of <strong>Gear</strong> Industry Respondents Expect<br />
Employment at their Location to Increase in 2007<br />
45%<br />
40%<br />
35%<br />
4%<br />
12%<br />
27%<br />
13%<br />
Change in Employment vs. 2005<br />
4%<br />
2%<br />
% of Respondents<br />
30%<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
% of Respondents<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
38%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
Expected Employment Change in 2007<br />
Surprisingly, only a few mentioned foreign competition,<br />
and some of those who did were outside the United States. In<br />
some cases, companies are being forced to set up manufacturing<br />
operations overseas in order to serve a major customer. A design<br />
engineer working for a major OEM in Wisconsin cited “unfair<br />
pricing by foreign competitors” as one of his company’s most<br />
significant challenges.<br />
Our audience seems less concerned with foreign competition<br />
than with competition in general. The respondents are worried<br />
about how they’re going to be able to do more with less.<br />
“Same as every year,” one respondent said. “make it better,<br />
cheaper, and faster.”<br />
Most respondents work at locations that are increasing<br />
2 0 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
Pag C 86x251 20-09-2005 12:02 Pagina 1<br />
73% Saw Production Volumes Increase in 2006<br />
35%<br />
30%<br />
% of Respondents<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
North America<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
Production Volume Change vs. 2005<br />
68% Expect Production Volume to Increase in 2007<br />
35%<br />
30%<br />
% of Respondents<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Expected Production Volume Change 2007<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
production, but they’re also being asked to reduce costs and<br />
decrease delivery times, all while deliveries from their suppliers<br />
are taking longer, costing more and becoming less reliable.<br />
Another theme common among respondents, especially in<br />
the United States, was the difficulty in finding skilled workers—not<br />
enough engineering talent, not enough machining<br />
talent, and not enough interest in manufacturing in general.<br />
“Large corporate attrition programs will see experienced<br />
workers flow out, being replaced by inexperienced workers,”<br />
said a manufacturing engineer at a major U.S. manufacturer of<br />
heavy-duty transmissions.<br />
“For my small operation, the inability to find qualified or<br />
any other help will be a deterrent to the growth of this com-<br />
Global Solutions from a Truly Global Company<br />
The only company of its kind with a truly global<br />
manufacturing presence in all three areas of its<br />
customer's production: Europe, United States, Far<br />
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mini<strong>Gear</strong>s is the first name worldwide in providing<br />
small and mid-size precision transmission<br />
components in high volumes produced with<br />
consistently exceptional quality, both by traditional<br />
steel machining and highly innovative powder<br />
metallurgical PM processes.<br />
A team of highly motivated and qualified<br />
individuals, recognized for their competence,<br />
accountability, innovation capability and<br />
responsiveness to customers' needs, have<br />
established mini<strong>Gear</strong>s as the reliable partner in<br />
gear calculation, engineering design and<br />
development, testing and production of gears and<br />
complete kinematic mechanisms.<br />
ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified<br />
mG mini<strong>Gear</strong>s North America<br />
2505 International Parkway<br />
Virginia Beach, VA 23452 U.S.A.<br />
ph.: (757) 233-7000<br />
fax: (757) 627-0944<br />
e-mail:mg_usa@minigears.com<br />
internet: www.minigears.com<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 2 1
Overton <strong>Gear</strong> and<br />
Tool Corporation<br />
www.overtongear.com<br />
630-543-9570 PHONE<br />
630-543-7440 FAX<br />
AG Eng 530 ad Westgate 1 4c <strong>Gear</strong> Drive Tech 05 4/6/05 8:51 AM Page 1<br />
Addison, IL 60101<br />
<br />
% of Respondents<br />
71% Saw Sales Volumes Increase in 2006<br />
35%<br />
30%<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
40%<br />
35%<br />
30%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Change in Sales Volume vs. 2005<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
69% Expect Sales to Increase in 2007<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
% of Respondents<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
5%<br />
• Precision carburized gears,<br />
housings and gearbox<br />
assemblies<br />
Aero <strong>Gear</strong> Inc.<br />
• Flowline production<br />
For more information, contact:<br />
• In-house heat treating<br />
• Supplier to leading<br />
aerospace<br />
manufacturers<br />
• Tolerances to AGMA<br />
Class 12<br />
1050 Day Hill Rd., Windsor, CT 06095<br />
Tel: (860) 688-0888<br />
Fax: (860) 285-8514<br />
email: buygears@aerogear.com • www.aerogear.com<br />
0%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Expected Change in Sales Volume 2007<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
pany,” said a production worker at a California job shop.<br />
Other concerns were voiced as well, including issues like<br />
scheduling, finding raw materials, improving quality, increasing<br />
productivity and so forth. Others want to reduce their inventories<br />
and increase their flexibility through lean manufacturing.<br />
Some are simply struggling with their own growth. “We are<br />
running out of space,” said a manufacturing engineer at a midsized<br />
Canadian job shop.<br />
We deliberately did not ask questions about profits in this<br />
survey. Many of the respondents wouldn’t necessarily have<br />
access to that kind of information. Others work at large OEMs<br />
whose profits are largely dependent upon factors outside of<br />
their gear manufacturing operations. But it’s clear from the<br />
2 2 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
40%<br />
50% Work at Locations Where<br />
Capital Spending Increased in 2006<br />
Quality Workholding<br />
% of Respondents<br />
35%<br />
30%<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
Expanding Mandrels<br />
.0001” T.I.R. or better<br />
Expansion Range: 1/4” to 7”<br />
Fast & easy loading -<br />
Ideal for:<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Inspection<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Grinding<br />
Hob Sharpening<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
45%<br />
40%<br />
35%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Expected Change in Sales Volume 2007<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
41% Expect Capital Spending at Their<br />
Locations to Increase in 2007<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
Spline Mandrels<br />
Pitch diameter contact<br />
.0002” T.I.R. or better<br />
Inspection or Grinding<br />
Grinding Mandrels<br />
.0001” T.I.R. or better<br />
Robust clamping<br />
Available with part locator<br />
Fast and easy loading<br />
LeCOUNT, Inc. 180 Dewitt Drive White River Jc. VT 05001 USA<br />
(800) 642-6713 (802) 296-2200 Fax: (802) 296-6843<br />
sales@lecount.com www.lecount.com<br />
% of Respondents<br />
30%<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
10%<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
Increased<br />
21%or More<br />
Increased<br />
11-20%<br />
Increased<br />
1-10%<br />
Stayed the<br />
Same<br />
Decreased<br />
1-10%<br />
Decreased<br />
11-20%<br />
Decreased<br />
21% or More<br />
Expected Change in Capital Spending 2007<br />
comments of many of the respondents that, although they are<br />
extremely busy, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they’re also<br />
extremely profitable.<br />
Reading through their comments, you get the sense that gear<br />
manufacturers are feeling squeezed, in more ways than one.<br />
Some are squeezed by space constraints. Others are squeezed by<br />
pricing. Still others are squeezed by their customers’ demands<br />
for higher productivity, lower prices and improved quality.<br />
But squeezing the most out of the least is the task of modern<br />
manufacturing. Despite the many challenges facing them, you also<br />
get the sense from reading their comments that the gear industry<br />
is not only up to the task, but also hopeful about its future.<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 2 3
S<br />
GEAR CUTTING TOOLS<br />
How Do Respondents Describe Their<br />
Manufacturing Operations and <strong>Technology</strong>?<br />
1%<br />
It’s Amazing We<br />
Still Have<br />
Customers<br />
21%<br />
World-Class,<br />
21st Century<br />
6%<br />
Facilities<br />
and<br />
Equipment<br />
Beginning<br />
to Show<br />
Their Age<br />
27%<br />
Good, But<br />
Room for<br />
Improvement<br />
45%<br />
Competitive<br />
With Most<br />
in Our<br />
Industry<br />
6 0 Y E A R S O F T O P T E C H N O L O G Y<br />
U S D i s t r i b u t o r<br />
HANIK<br />
CORPORATION<br />
PHONE 630-595-7333<br />
FAX 630-595-7343<br />
w w w . h a n i k c o r p . c o m<br />
email: hanikcorp@aol.com<br />
ph: 011-41-32-344-0400 • fax: 011-41-32-344-0404 • www.schnyder.com • mail@schnyder.com<br />
Rising Cost of<br />
Ranked as #1 Concern in the USA<br />
Difficulty<br />
in Finding<br />
Healthcare<br />
Skilled Labor<br />
27%<br />
35%<br />
Increased Foreign<br />
Competitio n<br />
23%<br />
E N G I N E E R I N G & T E C H N O L O G Y<br />
Rising Cost of<br />
Materials<br />
20%<br />
4%<br />
Rising Energy Costs<br />
* % equals more than 100% because some respondents chose more than one option<br />
as their #1.<br />
Experts in CNC controlled<br />
tooth by tooth submerged process<br />
gear hardening. We specialize in precision<br />
induction hardening of all power<br />
transmission components.<br />
Registered “YOUR FIRST to TS16949:2002 CHOICE”<br />
For Outsourcing standards. From Prototypes<br />
Your <strong>Gear</strong><br />
to High Volume<br />
Manufacturing<br />
Production<br />
Magnum Visit our website Induction for more info Inc.<br />
14 Ash Drive www.first-gear.com<br />
• Smiths Creek, MI 48074<br />
Ph: 810.364.5270 ISO 9001 : 2000 • Fax: CERTIFIED 810.364.4114<br />
Email: 7606 tom@magnuminduction.com<br />
Freedom Way • Fort Wayne, IN 46818<br />
Tel: (260) 490-3238 • Fax: (260) 490-4093<br />
magnuminduction.com<br />
www.first-gear.com<br />
Ranked as #1 Concern Outside USA<br />
Rising Cost of Materials<br />
Increased Foreign Competition<br />
Difficulity in Finding<br />
Skilled Labor<br />
Rising Energy<br />
Cost<br />
12%<br />
20%<br />
6% Rising Cost of Healthcare<br />
37%<br />
41%<br />
* % equals more than 100% because some respondents chose more than one option<br />
as their #1.<br />
2 4 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
What Other Factors are<br />
Presenting Significant Challenges<br />
to Your Business?<br />
What are Your Company’s Most<br />
Significant Manufacturing/<br />
Engineering Challenges for 2007?<br />
“Although we have experienced a nice increase in<br />
sales in the last 18 months, there is still a fear that<br />
the industry could go into a downturn again…The fun<br />
of what would be coming in the door next is being<br />
replaced by the dread of ‘How can we meet these<br />
ridiculous deliveries on parts we quoted months ago<br />
and now are suddenly HOT because the customer<br />
waited so long to order.’”<br />
—a manufacturing production worker at a<br />
Michigan job shop<br />
“Coping with changing demands on products. Reducing<br />
stock levels with a view to becoming leaner.”<br />
—design engineer at a U.K. manufacturer of<br />
gear drives<br />
“Failure of society/industry to shake negative perceptions<br />
about machining as a career, thus difficulty in<br />
finding and hiring excellent, intelligent help.”<br />
—corporate executive at a small U.S. manufacturer<br />
of automotive powertrain products<br />
“Increased competition, but domestic.”<br />
—a manufacturing engineer at a major U.S. automotive<br />
transmission plant<br />
“Keeping up with rapid growth and demand.”<br />
—a quality control worker at a U.S. manufacturer<br />
of mining equipment<br />
“Meeting the ever-increasing demands for quicker<br />
deliveries and reducing lead times, coupled with price<br />
reduction requests. Many customers’ expectations<br />
have gone beyond being unreasonable.”<br />
—corporate executive at a mid-sized Illinois job<br />
shop<br />
“More and more companies which were not gear<br />
producers 10 years ago are now getting into the gear<br />
business.”<br />
—employee at a mid-sized Michigan job shop<br />
“Not just the cost of gear steel, but availability;<br />
getting forgings into the plant.”<br />
—production worker at a large U.S. manufacturer<br />
of industrial gearboxes<br />
“Suppliers being able to meet our scheduled ramp-up<br />
and our quality requirements.”<br />
—manufacturing engineer at a major U.S. automotive<br />
transmission plant<br />
“Find people with enough skill on gears.”<br />
—manufacturing engineer at a small California<br />
job shop<br />
“Bringing the best manufacturing practice to produce<br />
world-class gear products. Implementing six sigma<br />
and TQM culture into the organization.”<br />
—corporate executive at a small Indian job shop<br />
serving the construction market<br />
“Cost reduction to compete with foreign products.”<br />
—production worker at a small U.S. manufacturer<br />
of motion control products<br />
“Creating good scheduling for production, to create<br />
better on-time delivery.”<br />
—production worker at a large U.S. job shop<br />
serving the aerospace industries<br />
“Design and prototype products in a shorter time<br />
period with the same resources.”<br />
—design engineer at a major U.S. manufacturer<br />
of construction/off-highway equipment<br />
“Expansion: double production capacity without losing<br />
focus on cost optimization.”<br />
—corporate executive at a major European<br />
manufacturer of industrial gearboxes<br />
“Finding and retaining skilled labor.”<br />
—corporate executive at a mid-sized New York<br />
job shop<br />
“Increasing the production by at least 10% while<br />
reducing the manpower by 2-5%.”<br />
—manufacturing engineer at a major Indian automobile<br />
manufacturer<br />
“Keeping production costs low and keeping our competitive<br />
edge against foreign competition.”<br />
—marketing & sales worker at a mid-sized job<br />
shop in Malaysia<br />
“To reduce price without affecting quality and<br />
delivery.”<br />
—quality control worker at a major U.S. aerospace<br />
job shop<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 2 5
Sales Volume of Company<br />
State of the <strong>Gear</strong> Industry: Who Responded<br />
Outside<br />
the USA<br />
43%<br />
43%<br />
USA<br />
57%<br />
MRO<br />
2%<br />
Sales Type Volume of Operation of Company<br />
$0-<br />
$1 billion+ 99,000<br />
9% $0- $100,000-<br />
17%<br />
11%<br />
99,000$999,000<br />
$1 billion+<br />
$100 million- OEM 12%<br />
9% $100,000-<br />
$999 million 17% 53%<br />
11%<br />
22% $999,000<br />
8%<br />
$50 $100 million- million-<br />
12% $1 million-<br />
$99<br />
$999<br />
million<br />
million 21% $9.99 million<br />
22%<br />
8%<br />
$50 million-<br />
$10 million-<br />
$1 million-<br />
$99 million $49 Job million Shop<br />
21% $9.99 million<br />
45%<br />
$10 million-<br />
$49 million<br />
10<br />
Constr<br />
Off-Hig<br />
Equip 1<br />
Cons<br />
Off-H<br />
Equi<br />
State of the <strong>Gear</strong> Industry: Who Responded<br />
Type of Operation<br />
d<br />
MRO<br />
2%<br />
Type of Operation<br />
43%<br />
500-999<br />
Size of Company<br />
Outside<br />
the USA<br />
43%<br />
1000+<br />
100-499<br />
OEM<br />
USA<br />
53%<br />
57%<br />
0-19<br />
Job Shop<br />
45%<br />
20-49<br />
50-99<br />
Job Title/Function of Respondent<br />
MRO 2% Quality 2% 4%<br />
2%<br />
Purchasing<br />
Control Job Title/Function OEM Other of Respondent<br />
8%<br />
53%<br />
2% 2%<br />
Marketing Quality<br />
4%<br />
Purchasing<br />
& Sales Control<br />
Other<br />
8%<br />
Marketing<br />
23%<br />
& Sales<br />
Corporate<br />
Job Shop<br />
15%<br />
Management<br />
45%<br />
Manufacturing<br />
23%<br />
Production<br />
Corporate<br />
15%<br />
Management<br />
20%<br />
Design<br />
Manufacturing 25%<br />
Engineering<br />
Production Manufacturing<br />
20%<br />
Engineering Design<br />
25%<br />
Engineering<br />
Manufacturing<br />
Engineering<br />
Sales Size Volume of Company of Company<br />
$1<br />
1000+<br />
billion+<br />
17%<br />
11%<br />
$100 million-<br />
500-999<br />
$999 million<br />
8%<br />
$50 million-<br />
$99 million<br />
7%<br />
Other<br />
2 6 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e 1%<br />
c h n Rollo<br />
l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m<br />
7%<br />
Other<br />
Forming<br />
3%<br />
Plastic Injection 3% Powder Metal<br />
$0-<br />
99,000 0-19<br />
21%<br />
$10 100-499 million-<br />
$49 million<br />
9% $100,000-<br />
$999,000 20-49<br />
12%<br />
22%<br />
50-99<br />
$1 million-<br />
$9.99 million<br />
Prime Industry<br />
10% 3% 6%<br />
Construction/ Marine<br />
Off-Highway<br />
Equipment<br />
Primary Method Motion of Manufacture<br />
Control<br />
Primary Method of Manufacture<br />
28%<br />
Other<br />
20%<br />
Heavy Industry 87%<br />
Cut Metal<br />
14%<br />
12% 87% Automotive<br />
Aerospace Cut Metal<br />
5%<br />
Vehicles Other than<br />
Automotive<br />
Respondents<br />
# of Respondents<br />
of<br />
#<br />
60<br />
5060<br />
4050<br />
3040<br />
2030<br />
1020<br />
10 0
Primary Method of of Manufacture<br />
60 60<br />
Age Age of of Manufacturing Location<br />
50 50<br />
87% 87%<br />
Cut Cut Metal Metal<br />
Respondents<br />
Respondents<br />
of<br />
of<br />
#<br />
#<br />
40 40<br />
30 30<br />
20 20<br />
7% 7%<br />
Other Other<br />
1% 1% Roll- Roll-<br />
Forming<br />
3% 3%<br />
Plastic Plastic Injection<br />
3% 3% Powder Metal Metal<br />
Molding<br />
10 10<br />
0 0<br />
1 8 6 0 s<br />
1 8 6 0 s<br />
1 8 7 0 s<br />
1 8 7 0 s<br />
1 8 8 0 s<br />
1 8 8 0 s<br />
1 8 9 0 s<br />
1 8 9 0 s<br />
1 9 0 0 s<br />
1 9 0 0 s<br />
1 9 1 0 s<br />
1 9 1 0 s<br />
1 9 2 0 s<br />
1 9 2 0 s<br />
1 9 3 0 s<br />
1 9 3 0 s<br />
1 9 4 0 s<br />
1 9 4 0 s<br />
1 9 5 0 s<br />
1 9 5 0 s<br />
1 9 6 0 s<br />
1 9 6 0 s<br />
1 9 7 0 s<br />
1 9 7 0 s<br />
1 9 8 0 s<br />
1 9 8 0 s<br />
1 9 9 0 s<br />
1 9 9 0 s<br />
2 0 0 0 s<br />
2 0 0 0 s<br />
Original Age Age of of Facility Facility<br />
Half Half of gear of gear industry respondents work work in facilities in originally built built before before 1967 1967<br />
Modular Transmission Test Systems<br />
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Half Half of of gear gear industry works works in in facilities originally built built before 1967 1967<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 2 7
Dr. Suren Rao (left), GRI managing director, and graduate assistant Daniel MacNamara, setting up an RCF test<br />
machine.<br />
2 8 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
It’s All<br />
About the<br />
Science<br />
at <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Research<br />
Institute<br />
Jack McGuinn, Senior Editor<br />
Experience counts, shared or otherwise, in most anything we<br />
do. But it sometimes falls short when trying to establish consistent<br />
gear design and standards definitions. That is why—despite<br />
racking up more than $2.5 million in R&D contracts this year<br />
with its member sponsors—the <strong>Gear</strong> Research Institute at<br />
Pennsylvania State University is not content. And Dr. Suren<br />
Rao, institute managing director, pulls no punches in explaining<br />
why.<br />
“It is my opinion that too much of gear design and definition<br />
of standards is anecdotal, he says. “While analytical methods<br />
have been developed to establish a ‘better’ theoretical basis for<br />
these efforts, it has to go hand-in-hand with rigorous and robust<br />
experimental verification. The institute, in conjunction with the<br />
(school’s Drivetrain <strong>Technology</strong>) Center, has the most comprehensive<br />
gear test capability in the nation. It can play a leading<br />
role in this experimental verification.”<br />
Asked to expand on those observations, Rao refers to how<br />
standards are typically arrived at, and two inherent disadvantages<br />
with that process.<br />
“Right now, AGMA is writing standards in committees that<br />
bring together experts in their respective fields who bring their<br />
practices to the table and define a consensus that is acceptable<br />
to the group. This is purely experience-based, and while I have<br />
no quarrel with this process, it has two disadvantages. One,<br />
while experience is a great teacher, it is less able to define technological<br />
advances, both in terms of what, and when. Two, it<br />
also trends to the conservative side, as no one wants to be ‘out<br />
on a limb.’”<br />
Rao allows that the points he makes were less valid when<br />
the United States and Western Europe ruled a much smaller<br />
industrial universe. But he cautions that the advances of Asian<br />
and other emerging Third World countries are dictating the need<br />
for a new playbook.<br />
“Both of these issues were irrelevant when we were ‘king of<br />
the hill,’” he says. “Today, we face a host of competitors that<br />
are willing to take risks that we are not bold enough to do, and<br />
are losing the game as a result.”<br />
For Rao, it’s a “no guts, no glory” call to arms.<br />
“The only addition I would make to this process is devising<br />
experimental verification of the proposed standards to make<br />
sure we are not going overboard on the cautious side, and that<br />
we are exploiting the benefits of advanced technology. To<br />
implement this will cost money—money that needs to be justified<br />
to management.”<br />
An independent, not-for-profit corporation formally begun<br />
in 1986 by a group of Chicago area-based gear engineers,<br />
GRI then made its home at Northwestern University around<br />
1994 before eventually establishing a permanent base at Penn<br />
State. The institute co-sponsors projects with the university’s<br />
aforementioned Drivetrain <strong>Technology</strong> Center, a division of its<br />
Applied Research Laboratory. From its inception, the institute<br />
has made its mark in the industry by conducting collaborative,<br />
pre-competitive gear and applied research.<br />
Asked to define “pre-competitive,” Rao explains the distinction<br />
between the institute’s work and that generally conducted<br />
in academic environments.<br />
“In the academic environment, we generally characterize it<br />
as research which is publishable without any restrictions. At<br />
the institute, we follow a narrower concept. And the basis is<br />
research that several companies can jointly conduct without<br />
impacting their competitive advantage.”<br />
The institute boasts an “A” list of top companies with which<br />
it has partnered on gear research. Rao cites the institute’s efforts<br />
in developing gear design allowables for AMS 6308 gear steel<br />
with a consortium including Avio (Italy), Boeing, Honeywell,<br />
Pratt &Whitney, Purdy Corp., Rolls-Royce, REM Chemicals,<br />
Sikorsky Aircraft and Timken. Rao also alludes to ongoing<br />
single-client projects sponsored by Rolls-Royce in support of<br />
the Joint Strike Fighter program, and to just-completed work for<br />
Boeing-Mesa evaluating the durability characteristics of several<br />
gear steels for Apache aircraft.<br />
Rao explains how this concept played out in a recent aircraft<br />
project.<br />
“The AMS 6308 <strong>Gear</strong> Design Allowables project is a typical<br />
example. All aircraft gearboxes are being designed with high<br />
hot hardness steels, such as AMS 6308. All of them need the<br />
material failure data.<br />
“How they translate the material failure data we provide<br />
them into design allowables within their own organizations is<br />
proprietary, and impacts their competitive advantage. (The<br />
institute) allows several companies to work together without the<br />
fear of losing any competitive advantage.”<br />
The institute is overseen by a tri-partite, nine-member board<br />
of trustees. Three members are nominated by the American <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Manufacturers Association (AGMA), three by the American<br />
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Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and three are elected<br />
by the institute’s membership for a three-year term. The board<br />
elects a president—currently Bill Bradley of the AGMA; treasurer—Al<br />
Swiglo of Northern Illinois University; and a secretary—Sam<br />
Haines of <strong>Gear</strong> Motions.<br />
Other board trustees currently serving the institute are<br />
Michael Tinkleman (ASME), Terrell Hansen (Boeing-Mesa),<br />
Jack Masseth (American Axle), Neil Anderson (GM <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Center), Bruce Boardman (John Deere) and Gary Kimmet (The<br />
Gleason Works).<br />
Rao, completing his 10th year at the institute, (succeeding<br />
institute co-founder Dale Breen of International Harvester), is of<br />
course a firm believer in the institute and the work it does. For<br />
him, it’s all about the science and protocols.<br />
In addition to its corporate sponsors, the institute is also<br />
supported by nominal membership fees—$300 corporate, $50<br />
individual and $10 for students. In return, members are welcomed<br />
to the institute’s annual meeting and are able to access<br />
the institute’s database to research past projects—contingent<br />
upon approval by the sponsoring entity—at reasonable cost.<br />
Members also receive mailings regarding institute workshops<br />
and symposiums which they can attend at a reduced rate.<br />
In breaking down FY ’06 (Oct., ’05–Sept. ’06) projects, Rao<br />
cited Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Distortion Control Technologies<br />
and LSP, Inc. as companies that combined sponsored more than<br />
one million dollars in institute projects. That work, along with<br />
that of the other companies previously mentioned, allowed the<br />
institute to repay its original 1986 founding grant provided by<br />
the ASME. In addition, another $1.5 million was realized from<br />
the aircraft-related work done at the affiliated Drivetrain Center.<br />
But, an unfortunate sign of the times, the U.S. automotive sector<br />
this year sponsored less than $100,000 for research by the institute.<br />
Too, GRI has attracted no interest or sponsorships from<br />
foreign automakers. Back on the plus side, Rao says possible<br />
programs with Boeing and Northrup Grumman Marine bode<br />
well for 2007.<br />
Typical areas of research conducted by the institute include:<br />
high hot hardness gear steels; utilization of boron-toughened<br />
steels; technology surveys; gear durability testing; lubrication<br />
effects on durability; induction hardening of gears; effect of<br />
surface finish on durability; heat treat distortion; and finite element<br />
modeling.<br />
To perform this work, the <strong>Gear</strong> Research Institute is empowered<br />
with an array of research capabilities, including rolling<br />
contact fatigue (RCF) testers for low- and high-temperature<br />
roller testing; modifiable power circulating (PC) gear testers for<br />
parallel axis gears with a 4" center distance; single-tooth fatigue<br />
(STF) testers for spur and helical gears; a gear tooth impact<br />
tester; and worm gear testers with 1.75" and 4" center distances.<br />
Metallurgical characterization facilities are also made available<br />
by Penn State to the institute.<br />
Along with its research capabilities, the institute prides<br />
itself on its efforts—necessarily limited though they are—in<br />
educating and nurturing students seeking a career in gear design<br />
and related technologies. And yet, despite the shortage of<br />
upcoming wannabe gear engineers, the institute finds itself in a<br />
“Catch-22” dilemma, given the constraints and limited dollars<br />
they must work with.<br />
“While there are plenty of students looking for work in<br />
my laboratory, funding them is always a challenge,” says Rao.<br />
“Most of the industrial contracts have very tight intellectual<br />
property rights (IP) that, in most cases, preclude their publication<br />
as a thesis.”<br />
For Rao, and the gear industry in general, support for gear<br />
engineers of the future is a major concern with no apparent<br />
solution.<br />
“While educating the next generation of gear engineers is<br />
a purpose we would like to fulfill, I have a very difficult time<br />
doing just that. Educating gear engineers is a major concern. If<br />
funding and IP rights were less stringent, education of students<br />
in gear technology would not be a problem.”<br />
For more information contact:<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Research Institute<br />
Applied Research Laboratory<br />
Pennsylvania State University<br />
P.O. Box 30<br />
State College, PA 16804-0030<br />
Phone: (814) 863-9749<br />
Fax: (814) 863-6185<br />
Internet: www.gearresearch.org<br />
Aaron Isaacson (right), GRI research engineer, and engineering aide Joe<br />
Bitner, at a PC gear test machine.<br />
3 0 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
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96T, 64P<br />
100T, 63.5P<br />
Figure 1—Computer plot for a master gear tooth on the line of centers.<br />
Characteristics<br />
of Master <strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
Richard L. Thoen<br />
Richard L. Thoen is a consultant specializing<br />
in medium- and fine-pitch gearing. He<br />
has authored several articles and papers on<br />
measurement, involute mathematics, statistical<br />
tolerancing and other gearing subjects.<br />
Management Summary<br />
The two-flank roll test (a work gear rolled<br />
in tight mesh against a master gear) measures<br />
kickout (also known as tooth-to-tooth composite<br />
error) and tooth thickness. In this article, it will<br />
be shown that the measured values for kickout<br />
and tooth thickness vary with the number of<br />
teeth on the master gear, and that the errors in<br />
measured values become greater with the number<br />
of teeth on the master gear.<br />
Introduction<br />
To show that the measured value for kickout varies with<br />
the number of teeth on the master gear, a work gear is meshed<br />
against master gears of various tooth numbers. For example, the<br />
author has a 100-tooth, 48 diametral pitch, 20° profile angle,<br />
molded plastic gear—drawn at random from a production<br />
line—that has kickouts of 0.0003". and 0.0010" against 96- and<br />
30-tooth master gears, respectively. Another way to show the<br />
variation in kickout values is to mesh high grade work gears of<br />
various tooth numbers against a master gear of slightly different<br />
diametral pitch (Ref. 1).<br />
For example, when a 180-tooth, 120 diametral pitch master<br />
gear is meshed against a 192-tooth, 127 diametral pitch (0.2<br />
module) master gear, 20° profile angle on both, the kickout is<br />
only about 0.0002", despite the fact that the difference in base<br />
pitch is 0.0014". But when 120 diametral pitch high-grade work<br />
gears of various tooth numbers are meshed against the 127<br />
diametral pitch master gear, the kickout increases as the tooth<br />
number decreases, to about 0.0019" for a 12-tooth work gear<br />
(Ref. 1).<br />
It is pertinent to note that an error of 0.001" in base pitch<br />
is not uncommon in formed gearing (molded plastic, die cast,<br />
powder metal, stamped, cold drawn).<br />
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And to show that the measured value for tooth thickness<br />
varies with the number of teeth on the master gear, a work gear<br />
of slightly different diametral pitch is meshed against master<br />
gears of various tooth numbers.<br />
The general way in which tooth thickness varies with the<br />
number of teeth on the master gear has been known for a long<br />
time (Ref. 2). Now, with the advent of the computer plot, it is<br />
feasible to calculate values for both the tooth thickness and the<br />
kickout.<br />
Numerical Example<br />
Given two master gears: 96- and 20-tooth, 64 diametral<br />
pitch, 20° profile angle, basic tooth thickness (π /128). Also<br />
given a work gear: 100-tooth, 63.5 diametral pitch (0.4 module),<br />
20° profile angle, basic tooth thickness (π/127). Accordingly,<br />
the error in base pitch, relative to the 96- and 20-tooth master<br />
gears, is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Since only the effect of an error in base pitch is being investigated,<br />
the outside diameter of the 100-tooth work gear is (100<br />
+ 2)/64 = 1.5938", not (100 + 2)/63.5 = 1.6063".<br />
When the 100-tooth work gear is meshed against the 96-<br />
tooth master gear on the computer plot, it is seen that the center<br />
distance is maximum for a master gear tooth on the line of centers<br />
and minimum for a work gear tooth on the line of centers.<br />
Also, it is seen that both center distances exceed the basic center<br />
distance of (96 + 100)/128 = 1.53125".<br />
Thus, to bring the maximum center distance down to the<br />
basic center distance, it is seen (via trial and error) that the tooth<br />
thickness on the work gear must be 0.0498" less than the basic<br />
π/127".<br />
From Figure 1, which is the computer plot for a master gear<br />
tooth on the line of centers, it is seen that the master gear tooth is<br />
not in contact with the adjacent work gear teeth and that contact<br />
is on the tips of the work gear teeth, not on the line of action.<br />
For a work gear tooth on the line of centers, the center distance<br />
on the computer plot is 1.53092" for a tooth thickness of<br />
0.00498" less than basic. Thus, the kickout is 1.53125–1.53092<br />
= 0.0003".<br />
Further, for two work gears with 0.00498" reduction in<br />
tooth thickness, their tight mesh center distance is 1.5606"<br />
(Refs. 3 and 4), not the (100 + 100)/128 = 1.5625" indicated by<br />
the 96-tooth master gear.<br />
Conversely, when the work gear is meshed against the 20-<br />
tooth master gear on the computer plot, the reduction in tooth<br />
thickness is 0.00487" (versus 0.00498" for the 96-tooth master),<br />
the kickout is 0.0005" (versus 0.0003" for the 96-tooth master)<br />
and the tight mesh center distance between the two work gears<br />
is 1.5609" (versus 1.5606" for the 96-tooth master), not the<br />
1.5625" indicated by the 20-tooth master gear.<br />
Lacking the computer plot, nearly the same results can be<br />
obtained with gears made to the above dimensions, using 64<br />
diametral pitch and 0.4 module hobs.<br />
Excessive backlash (arising from unknown reductions in<br />
tooth thickness) can be avoided when both members of a gear<br />
pair are generated (hobbed, shaped). Specifically, all parts for<br />
one member of the gear pair are cut to mesh against a master<br />
gear. Then, these parts, drawn at random to simulate the assembly<br />
process, are used to cut parts for the other member of the<br />
gear pair to a specified center distance (Ref. 5).<br />
Optimum Tooth Number<br />
In the foregoing example, both kickouts were determined<br />
for a known error in base pitch. In practice, however, the gear<br />
defects are not known. Consequently, the optimum tooth number<br />
for a master gear (that for which the kickout is maximum)<br />
must be determined by experiment.<br />
The optimum tooth number is likely to be determined by<br />
work gears with high tooth numbers and is likely to be lower<br />
for formed gearing than for generated gearing.<br />
Measurements<br />
It is imperative that the experimental measurements for<br />
optimum tooth number not be conducted by different companies.<br />
For example, Michalec and Karsch conducted a correlation<br />
study (Ref. 6), wherein an assortment of 100 fine-pitch precision<br />
gears were inspected at 20 different facilities for total composite<br />
error, tooth-to-tooth composite error (kickout) and testing<br />
radius. In their report, in addition to finding a “wide variation of<br />
measurements among companies,” they decided to eliminate the<br />
study of kickout because “the readings contained considerable<br />
uncertainty.”<br />
It is interesting to note that the study was conducted during<br />
the heyday of the analog computer (Ref. 7), when the participants<br />
had a special interest in obtaining state-of-the-art gears.<br />
If a similar correlation study were to be conducted today,<br />
the discrepancies probably would be similar since there have<br />
been no marked improvements in inspection practice and test<br />
equipment.<br />
In short, it is imperative that the search for optimum tooth<br />
number be conducted at one location by personnel who are<br />
well acquainted with the measurement errors in gear roll testing<br />
(Refs. 8 and 9).<br />
References<br />
1. Thoen, Richard L. “Minimizing Backlash in Spur <strong>Gear</strong>s,”<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, May/June 1994, p. 28.<br />
2. Thoen, Richard L. “Precision <strong>Gear</strong>s,” Machine Design,<br />
April 5, 1956, Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.<br />
3. Thoen, Richard L. “Correction to Minimizing Backlash in<br />
Spur <strong>Gear</strong>s,” <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, July/August 1994, p.41.<br />
4. Thoen, Richard L. “Minimizing Backlash in Spur <strong>Gear</strong>s,”<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, May/June 1994, Equation 8.<br />
5. Thoen, Richard L. “Minimizing Backlash in Spur <strong>Gear</strong>s,”<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, May/June 1994, p. 29.<br />
6. Michalec, George W. Precision <strong>Gear</strong>ing, John Wiley &<br />
Sons, 1966, p. 599.<br />
7. Michalec, George W. Precision <strong>Gear</strong>ing, John Wiley &<br />
Sons, 1966, p. ii, Figures 1-3.<br />
8. Thoen, Richard L. “Measurement Errors in <strong>Gear</strong> Roll<br />
Testing,” Machinery, May 1960, pp. 145–150.<br />
9. Michalec, George W. Precision <strong>Gear</strong>ing, John Wiley &<br />
Sons, 1966, pp. 559–567.<br />
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Optimization of the <strong>Gear</strong> Profile Grinding<br />
Process Utilizing an Analogy Process<br />
Christof Gorgels, Heiko Schlattmeier, and Fritz Klocke<br />
Figure 1—Local stock removal depending on the process strategy.<br />
Management Summary<br />
The requirements for transmission gears have continuously<br />
increased in past years, leading to the necessity<br />
for improvements in manufacturing processes. On the<br />
one hand, the material strength is increasing, while on the<br />
other there is a demand for higher manufacturing quality.<br />
For those reasons, increasing numbers of gears have to<br />
be hard-finished.<br />
The appearance of grinding burn in gear profile<br />
grinding, especially when using dressable grinding<br />
wheels, seemed to increase over the past years. As we<br />
know, grinding burn reduces the load-carrying capacity<br />
of gears tremendously. Conversely, costs need to be cut<br />
in order to assure a company’s competitive position in the<br />
global market. And yet, reducing the machining times in<br />
gear grinding still increases the risk of producing grinding<br />
burn (Ref. 1).<br />
In order to grind gears burn-free and as productively<br />
as possible, a better understanding of the process<br />
is required. This is especially important for gear profile<br />
grinding, due to the complex contact conditions between<br />
workpiece and grinding wheel (Refs. 2–3). In this article,<br />
an analogy process and a process model will be presented<br />
in order to gain a closer look into the process. Finally,<br />
different process strategies will be analyzed using the<br />
presented process model in order to give examples for the<br />
use of the described calculations.<br />
Introduction<br />
Discontinuous gear profile grinding is commonly<br />
used in the manufacture of large-module<br />
gears. And because the batch sizes are typically<br />
small to medium, the process must be highly flexible.<br />
In order to achieve this flexibility, dressable—rather<br />
than CBN-plated—grinding wheels<br />
can be applied. But in using these tools, the<br />
process robustness can be compromised by local<br />
structural damage—such as grinding burn—to<br />
the external zone.<br />
In tooth-flank profile grinding, due to the<br />
variation of contact conditions along the profile<br />
between grinding wheel and tooth flank, process<br />
optimization is difficult. And in comparison with<br />
other grinding processes, these conditions clearly<br />
lead to varying grinding conditions along the<br />
profile. Examination of the complex geometrical<br />
and contact conditions requires fundamental technological<br />
investigations in an analogy process.<br />
In this way, the relationship between various<br />
material removal conditions can be investigated<br />
as functions of the machining parameters and<br />
grinding wheel specifications.<br />
The purpose of this article is to develop a<br />
better process understanding in order to use<br />
new potentials for process optimization. The<br />
knowledge gained in the analogy process is the<br />
basis for a new mathematical model, allowing<br />
that understanding to be transferred to the real<br />
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process. Finally, a process optimization for gear<br />
profile grinding using this mathematical model<br />
will be presented.<br />
Local Stock Removal and Grinding Burn<br />
in <strong>Gear</strong> Profile Grinding<br />
Local grinding conditions along the profile<br />
in gear profile grinding. Basically, there are two<br />
process strategies that are commonly used for<br />
gear profile grinding in industrial practice. The<br />
left side of Figure 1 shows a grinding process<br />
with the removal of an equidistant stock along<br />
the profile. These are typical contact conditions<br />
occurring in single-flank grinding, with an infeed<br />
realized by a rotation of the workpiece<br />
(Refs. 2, 4).<br />
The right side of Figure 1 shows the removal<br />
of a constant stock in the radial direction, realized<br />
by a radial infeed of the grinding wheel<br />
in multiple steps. This is the process strategy<br />
most commonly used in industrial practice. It<br />
is obvious that the initial stock removal is not<br />
constant along the profile. In the first cut, stock<br />
is removed in the area of the root flank only.<br />
With further infeed, the area of stock removal is<br />
increasing. The whole stock in the tooth root is<br />
removed in the last cut only.<br />
Appearance of grinding burn in gear profile<br />
grinding. Typically, grinding burn appears<br />
only locally along the tooth profile in gear profile<br />
grinding. This is due to either the chosen process<br />
strategy or heat distortions and centering defaults.<br />
In this article, two examples of local grinding<br />
burn—dependent upon the process strategy—<br />
will be shown. For these trials, a typical truck<br />
gear from the case-hardened steel 20MnCr5E has<br />
been ground using a dressable, white corundum<br />
grinding wheel and using different process strategies.<br />
The tooth gaps have all been pre-ground in<br />
order to remove the influence of heat distortions<br />
and to ensure a constant stock removal in either<br />
infeed or equidistant direction.<br />
The results for a radial infeed of the grinding<br />
wheel without grinding the tooth root are shown<br />
in Figure 2. In the trials, a variation of the specific<br />
stock removal rate Q'w has been realized by<br />
a variation of the axial feed speed f a<br />
. The picture<br />
in the lower left shows the tooth flanks after nital<br />
etching. It is readily apparent that the grinding<br />
burn appears only in the area of the tip flank.<br />
Additionally, technological trials have been<br />
conducted with a constant stock removal along<br />
the gear tooth profile (see results in Figure 3).<br />
The specific stock removal rate Q'w varies in<br />
this operation along the tooth profile. The values<br />
shown in the chart are calculated at the indexing<br />
diameter in order to be comparable to the<br />
previous results. The picture in the lower-left<br />
Figure 2—Typical grinding burn for radial infeed of the grinding wheel.<br />
Figure 3—Typical grinding burn for equidistant infeed of the grinding wheel.<br />
Dipl.-Ing. Christof Gorgels is a research engineer<br />
at the WZL Laboratory for Machine Tools and<br />
Production Engineering. His area of expertise is<br />
gear manufacturing, gear hard finishing and especially<br />
gear grinding and grinding burn.<br />
Dr.–Ing. Heiko Schlattmeier is in charge of tool<br />
and fluid management for drivetrain manufacturing<br />
at BMW in Dingolfing, Germany. The research<br />
reflected in this article was conducted during his<br />
time as the chief engineer of the WZL <strong>Gear</strong> Research<br />
Department of Aachen University of <strong>Technology</strong>,<br />
where his area of specialty was hard gear finishing<br />
and gear form grinding.<br />
Prof. Dr.–Ing. Fritz Klocke is head of the Chair<br />
of Manufacturing <strong>Technology</strong> and a member of the<br />
directory board of the Laboratory for Machine Tools<br />
and Production Engineering (WZL), a department of<br />
the Aachen University of <strong>Technology</strong> in Germany.<br />
Also, he is head of the Fraunhofer Institute for<br />
Production <strong>Technology</strong> in Aachen, Germany.<br />
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Figure 4—Analogy process for gear profile grinding.<br />
Figure 5—Workpiece data.<br />
Figure 6—Grinding forces depending on the profile angle.<br />
corner shows the gear after nital etching, and<br />
the tempered zone has moved from tip flank to<br />
root flank. Again, this is a typical phenomenon<br />
for this process strategy of removing a constant<br />
stock along the profile.<br />
These results show that process strategy<br />
greatly influences local grinding conditions and,<br />
in turn, the area where grinding burn can appear.<br />
But why this area in particular shows thermal<br />
damage from grinding burn is not obvious. As<br />
the diagrams showing the specific spindle power<br />
P'c clearly reveal, the grinding burn nearly<br />
always appears before the spindle power shows a<br />
disproportionate increase.<br />
Analogy Process for <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Profile Grinding<br />
The main difference between gear profile<br />
grinding and standard grinding is the varying profile<br />
angle ϕ along the tooth flank. Investigations<br />
of gear profile grinding can only show total<br />
effects over the whole profile height and varying<br />
grinding conditions. This is a major reason why<br />
it is difficult to find out what leads to grinding<br />
burn occurring only locally on the tooth flank.<br />
In order to investigate the technological<br />
conditions separately along the tooth flank, an<br />
analogy process has been developed at the WZL<br />
laboratory at RWTH Aachen University. The<br />
basic setup of this analogy process is shown in<br />
Figure 4. The left picture shows the varying contact<br />
conditions along the tooth flank for a radial<br />
infeed of the grinding wheel into a pre-ground<br />
tooth gap. The radial infeed a e<br />
is constant along<br />
the profile height, while the stock in normal<br />
directions varies with the local profile angle ϕ.<br />
On the right side of Figure 4, the analogy<br />
process is shown. The local contact conditions,<br />
infeed a e<br />
, stock ∆s and profile angle ϕ of one<br />
position of the gear tooth profile are transferred<br />
to the grinding of a rectangular workpiece. In this<br />
way, all possible grinding conditions occurring<br />
along the profile can be examined separately.<br />
The first trials using the analogy process have<br />
been carried out using a corundum-white grinding<br />
wheel, commonly used in industrial practice for<br />
gear profile grinding. The machining parameters<br />
have also been adjusted to those common in gear<br />
profile grinding. The trials were conducted on a<br />
Kapp VAS55P gear grinding machine in order to<br />
keep the pre-conditions in the analogy process as<br />
close to gear profile grinding as possible.<br />
The workpieces are rectangular parts of the<br />
case-hardened steel 16MnCr5E, with a hardening<br />
depth of 0.9 mm. In the trials, a maximum total<br />
stock of ∆s = 0.4 mm was removed in the grinding<br />
process. The hardness of 61 HRC was nearly<br />
constant from the surface to this depth. The<br />
3 6 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
workpieces were also ground before the trials in<br />
order to assure a constant surface quality and to<br />
remove the distortions from heat treatment. The<br />
material structure, the hardness and the residual<br />
stress profile are shown in Figure 5.<br />
In Figure 6, the grinding forces in the normal<br />
direction (F n<br />
) and in the tangential direction<br />
(F t<br />
)—depending on the stock removal for<br />
different profile angles and a constant stock of<br />
∆s = 0.2 mm—are shown. It is obvious that, with<br />
a smaller profile angle, grinding forces increase<br />
and the possible stock removal is significantly<br />
lower. Especially in the steep areas, with a profile<br />
angle of ϕ = 2°, the initial grinding force is<br />
very high, and it increases rapidly, indicating that<br />
there is high wear of the grinding wheel.<br />
However, for a large profile angle of<br />
ϕ = 30°, there is hardly any increase of the grinding<br />
forces with the stock removal. Thus, hardly<br />
any wear of the grinding wheel occurs. It can<br />
therefore be stated that the larger the local profile<br />
angle, the more material can be removed before<br />
a dressing operation of the grinding wheel is<br />
needed.<br />
A reason for the tendency of the grinding<br />
wheel to wear earlier with a smaller profile<br />
angle can be attributed to the increasing contact<br />
length caused by a decreasing profile angle.<br />
The dependency of the grinding forces on the<br />
removed stock ∆s is shown in Figure 7. The<br />
grinding forces in the tangential direction (F t<br />
)<br />
and the direction normal to the surface (F n<br />
)<br />
are displayed, depending on the stock removal<br />
for different ∆s and a profile angle of ϕ = 10°.<br />
The grinding forces increase with the stock ∆s,<br />
especially the maximum stock removal, until the<br />
super-proportional increase of grinding forces<br />
begins lowering significantly.<br />
The results in the analogy process provide<br />
a better understanding of the effects occurring<br />
in gear profile grinding. It has been shown that<br />
gear geometries with a rather small profile angle<br />
lead to high grinding forces and to increased<br />
wear of the grinding wheel. And yet, it is rather<br />
difficult to transfer the results to the gear profile<br />
grinding process directly. At this point, one must<br />
analyze the local grinding conditions along the<br />
profile and attempt to find similar conditions<br />
in the analogy process. In order to more easily<br />
compare the profile grinding process to the<br />
analogy process, developing a process model is<br />
required. The model that has been developed is<br />
explained below.<br />
Transfer of the Analogy Results to the<br />
Real Process of <strong>Gear</strong> Profile Grinding<br />
Development of an empirical process model.<br />
As a first approach to the technological descrip-<br />
Figure 7—Grinding forces depending on the stock ∆s.<br />
Figure 8—Development of an empirical process model.<br />
tion of profile grinding processes, an empirical<br />
process model was developed to allow application<br />
of the results from the analogy process to<br />
profile grinding. In the analogy process, a large<br />
number of trials with profile angles varying from<br />
ϕ = 2° to ϕ = 90°, and a stock varying from<br />
∆s = 0.05 mm to ∆s = 0.4 mm, were conducted.<br />
A function shown in Figure 8 was chosen as an<br />
approach in order to calculate the grinding forces<br />
in profile grinding, based on the results of the<br />
analogy process. The coefficients were determined<br />
using the least-squares method. Grinding<br />
forces for conditions within the parameters tested<br />
in the analogy process are calculated using linear<br />
interpolation.<br />
The graphs in Figure 8 show the correlation<br />
between the measured value and the calculated<br />
value for all three grinding forces in the different<br />
coordinate directions. A perfect result would be<br />
gained if all points were on the 45° line, meaning<br />
that the measured values are exactly the<br />
same as the calculated values. In this case, the<br />
graph shows quite clearly that the points are very<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 3 7
Figure 9—Local contact conditions in gear profile grinding with a constant stock ∆s s<br />
along<br />
the profile.<br />
Figure 10—Transference of the analogy results to gear profile grinding.<br />
Figure 11—Local grinding forces when removing a constant stock ∆s s<br />
along the profile.<br />
close to this line, and that there is a very good<br />
correlation between the measured and calculated<br />
values. Additionally, the stability index<br />
amounts to values between r² = 0.93 for the<br />
tangential grinding force, and r² = 0.98 for the<br />
grinding force in the direction of the x-axis—a<br />
good result in this case.<br />
Calculation of local grinding forces in<br />
gear profile grinding. For the transfer of<br />
these results to the profile grinding process,<br />
a typical spur pinion with a gear geometry<br />
of the FZG-C gear was chosen. It has z = 16<br />
teeth; a module of m n<br />
= 4.5 mm; a pressure<br />
angle of α n<br />
= 20°; and an outside diameter of<br />
d a<br />
= 82.638 mm. The grinding wheel diameter<br />
used to calculate the geometrical contact length<br />
l g<br />
is d s<br />
= 200 mm.<br />
As a good first example, a grinding process<br />
with a constant stock ∆s along the profile was<br />
chosen. This is a typical process occurring in<br />
single-flank grinding with an in-feed realized<br />
by the rotation of the workpiece. The stock<br />
amounts to ∆s = 0.1 mm constantly along the<br />
profile geometry. The radial infeed a e<br />
differs<br />
along the tooth flank due to the changing<br />
profile angle ϕ. It amounts to a maximum of<br />
a e max<br />
= 1.239 mm in the area of the minimum<br />
profile angle ϕ min<br />
≈ 3° on the root flank. The<br />
distribution of the stock and the profile angle<br />
versus the local radius is shown in the upper<br />
diagram of Figure 9.<br />
The lower diagram shows the calculated<br />
geometrical contact length along the profile,<br />
which varies from l g<br />
= 4 mm in the tooth root,<br />
l g max<br />
= 16 mm on the root flank, and l g<br />
= 5 mm<br />
in the tip flank area. The stock removal related<br />
to the length of the considered contour element<br />
amounts to a constant value of V w<br />
/l d<br />
= 2 mm³/<br />
mm along the profile. So it can be concluded<br />
that, using this process strategy, the extreme<br />
values for the infeed a e<br />
, as well as for the contact<br />
length l g<br />
, can be found in the area of the<br />
root flank below the root form radius.<br />
The grinding forces have been calculated<br />
for grinding 1, 16, 50 and 100 gaps. Even<br />
though the workpiece does not have more than<br />
16 gaps, these calculations make sense in order<br />
to show the behavior of the grinding forces<br />
after a high stock removal, which can occur<br />
when grinding a similar gear with a much<br />
larger face width.<br />
By knowing the local contact conditions,<br />
it is now possible to apply the results gained<br />
from the analogy trials to the gear profile<br />
grinding process. The first step is to transfer<br />
the analogy trials’ contact conditions to each<br />
point of the gear profile. These calculated con-<br />
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tact conditions are shown in Figure 10.<br />
The different curves showing the tangential<br />
grinding forces versus the stock removal are<br />
representative of contact conditions occurring<br />
in the gear profile grinding process. The x-axis<br />
has a second label indicating the number of gaps<br />
being ground after removing a certain amount<br />
of stock. This method is rather time consuming,<br />
and it is only possible to determine the grinding<br />
forces in areas of the profile, i.e., where the<br />
contact conditions (stock ∆s and profile angle ϕ)<br />
are known from the analogy process. Therefore,<br />
the calculations of the local contact conditions<br />
are used in order to calculate local grinding<br />
forces, as opposed to using the process model.<br />
The results of the calculations of the tangential<br />
grinding forces related to the contour length of<br />
l = 1 mm versus the workpiece radius are shown<br />
d<br />
in Figure 11.<br />
Those results show that the lowest grinding<br />
forces of F t min<br />
/l = 1.2 N/mm can be found in<br />
d<br />
the area of the largest profile angle, which is<br />
the tooth root. Along the profile geometry, the<br />
grinding forces are increasing up to a maximum<br />
of F t<br />
max<br />
/l = 2.3 N/mm in the area of the root<br />
d<br />
flank just below the root form radius, where the<br />
minimum profile angle ϕ min<br />
is found. The grinding<br />
forces are then observed decreasing again, to<br />
F t<br />
/l = 1.5 N/mm in the area of the tip flank with<br />
d<br />
a rather high profile angle. Furthermore, these<br />
calculations show that the grinding forces are<br />
increasing most when machining multiple gaps<br />
in the area with the maximum grinding forces.<br />
In this area, initial grinding burn can be expected<br />
for this process strategy. This has already been<br />
shown by Schlattmeier (Ref. 2).<br />
The most common process strategy in industrial<br />
practice is the radial infeed of the grinding<br />
wheel. In this case, the local stock ∆s varies<br />
along the profile geometry. For typical trials, as<br />
well as for these calculations, a pre-ground gap is<br />
used in order to make sure that infeed a e<br />
is constant<br />
along the profile. The important geometric<br />
values for a radial in-feed of a e<br />
= 0.235 mm<br />
versus the workpiece radius are shown in<br />
Figure 12.<br />
The local stock shows a maximum of<br />
∆s max<br />
= 0.235 mm = a e<br />
in the area of the tooth<br />
root, and lowers to a minimum short below the<br />
root form diameter of ∆s min<br />
= 0.02 mm. Towards<br />
the tip flank, it increases again—to a local<br />
maximum of ∆s = 0.2 mm. The contact length<br />
l g<br />
is constant along the profile, but the oriented<br />
stock removal shows an absolute maximum in<br />
the tooth root, a minimum short below the root<br />
form radius, and a local maximum in the area of<br />
the tip flank.<br />
Figure 12—Local grinding conditions for a radial infeed of the grinding wheel.<br />
Figure 13—Tangential grinding forces for a radial infeed of the grinding wheel.<br />
With this data, it is now possible to calculate<br />
the local grinding forces along the gear profile<br />
geometry. The calculations of the tangential<br />
grinding forces F t<br />
versus the workpiece radius<br />
are shown in Figure 13.<br />
The grinding force F t<br />
shows a maximum<br />
in the tooth root and a minimum in the area of<br />
the root flank, just below the root form radius.<br />
Another local maximum can be observed in the<br />
area of the tip flank. After grinding multiple gaps<br />
in the area of the minimum forces, there is hardly<br />
any increase. But in the areas of the tooth root<br />
and the tip flank, grinding forces are increasing<br />
with the number of ground gaps. Increased grinding<br />
wheel wear can be expected, and grinding<br />
burn is most likely to occur in these areas.<br />
With these calculations, it is known that<br />
in the areas found to be critical, grinding burn<br />
occurs when using a radial infeed strategy in<br />
gear profile grinding (Ref. 2). When grinding<br />
the gear with a radial infeed including the tooth<br />
root, a grinding burn occurs mostly at the tooth<br />
root. When grinding the gear with a radial infeed<br />
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Figure 14—Local stock removal in infeed direction a and normal to the profile ∆s.<br />
e<br />
Figure 15—Tangential grinding forces for a radial infeed of the grinding wheel.<br />
without the tooth root, the grinding burn is most<br />
likely to occur at the tip flank. These are the areas<br />
where, based on these calculations, the maximum<br />
grinding forces can be found.<br />
Evaluation of Process Strategies<br />
Using the Process Model<br />
Following is an example for the evaluation<br />
of process strategies, using the empirical process<br />
model to calculate local grinding forces.<br />
Grinding forces are calculated not only for one<br />
grinding step, but also for an infeed strategy<br />
using multiple steps, including deviations from<br />
the desired shape that can be due, for example,<br />
to centering deviations. It is only necessary to<br />
be able to calculate the local stock removed in<br />
the evaluated cut, as well as in the local profile<br />
angle. An example of this using the grinding of<br />
a test gear will be simulated with three radial<br />
infeed steps of 0.2 mm each. This means that the<br />
first cut takes place at a center distance between<br />
grinding wheel and gear which is increased by<br />
0.4 mm, compared to the final center distance<br />
creating the final contour.<br />
In Figure 14, the local stock in the direction<br />
normal to the tooth flank ∆s and the stock in<br />
infeed direction a e<br />
are shown. In the first grinding<br />
step, material is removed from the gear flank<br />
only in the area of the root flank. In the infeed<br />
direction, the infeed into the material is up to<br />
a e<br />
= 1.0 mm, which means that a stock in normal<br />
direction of ∆s = 0.13 mm is removed. The result<br />
is that, in the area of the root flank, nearly all the<br />
stock is removed by completion of the first step.<br />
In the last step, material is removed along the<br />
whole profile, and the radial infeed amounts to<br />
a e<br />
= 0.2 mm.<br />
This is because the whole profile height has<br />
been ground in the second step. In the area of the<br />
root flank, only a very small amount of stock is<br />
removed in the normal direction. While in the<br />
area of the root and tip flanks, nearly all stock is<br />
removed in the last cut.<br />
The resulting grinding forces for these contact<br />
conditions are shown in Figure 15. The<br />
upper diagram shows the grinding forces in cutting<br />
and normal direction for the first cut. The<br />
drawn-through lines show the grinding forces<br />
when grinding the first gap with a newly-dressed<br />
grinding wheel. The broken lines show the<br />
grinding forces for grinding the sixteenth and<br />
last gap in order to gain an impression of the<br />
development of the grinding forces with the setin<br />
time of the grinding wheel.<br />
In the area of the root flank, very high local<br />
grinding forces can be seen, and those forces are<br />
increasing quite a lot with an increasing stock<br />
removal. This means that this area is susceptible<br />
to grinding burn in the first grinding step. To<br />
reduce that burn risk, the center distance between<br />
the grinding wheel and the workpiece must be<br />
increased. However, this will require more cuts<br />
and thus increase the manufacturing time on the<br />
machine tremendously.<br />
In the last grinding step, the grinding forces<br />
are smaller than in the first. There is also a smaller<br />
increase of those forces, with an observed<br />
increase of material removal. It is nevertheless<br />
apparent that the grinding forces are increasing<br />
towards the tip flank and the tooth root. This<br />
means that these areas are very sensitive to<br />
grinding burn when using an infeed strategy for<br />
a radial infeed of the grinding wheel. These areas<br />
are known to be most critical towards grinding<br />
burn, which can be seen in the grinding forces<br />
(Ref. 2).<br />
It can thus be concluded that the areas most<br />
critical to grinding burn can be evaluated by a<br />
calculation of the local grinding forces. While<br />
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the area of the root flank is most susceptible<br />
to grinding burn occurring in the first grinding<br />
step, the areas of the tooth root and the tip flank<br />
are most susceptible for burn in the last grinding<br />
step. Using this calculation of the grinding<br />
forces, it can be evaluated qualitatively how critical<br />
a gear geometry is in relation to grinding burn<br />
towards another, and if the chosen infeed strategy<br />
is critical as well.<br />
Summary and Outlook<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> profile grinding, especially using dressable<br />
grinding wheels, is a process rather sensitive<br />
to grinding burn. It therefore is important<br />
to understand the process well in order to either<br />
prevent grinding burn or, at minimum, if a grinding<br />
burn appears, to be able to change the process<br />
in a way that prevents it. This is especially important<br />
since grinding burn reduces the hardness of<br />
the external layer, and leads to tensile stresses<br />
which reduce the load-carrying capacity of the<br />
gear, thereby making gear failures more likely.<br />
The main consideration when trying to better<br />
understand the process of gear profile grinding is<br />
the constantly changing contact conditions along<br />
the profile. In real process trials, only effects<br />
resulting from all those contact conditions along<br />
the profile can be observed. And since grinding<br />
burn, in most cases, occurs only locally, the<br />
effect on values like grinding power or grinding<br />
forces often cannot be seen initially.<br />
In order to attain better knowledge of the<br />
effect of local grinding conditions on the process<br />
behavior, an analogy process was established to<br />
analyze them.<br />
Rectangular workpieces were ground in a<br />
clamping fixture that can be turned in order to<br />
set the different profile angles occurring on a<br />
tooth flank. Particularly in this analogy process,<br />
grinding forces have been measured. The results<br />
reveal that grinding steep profile angles leads to<br />
a high risk of grinding burn, which can be due<br />
to the increasing contact length, and, in turn,<br />
can lead to a higher amount of energy conducted<br />
into the workpiece. The main goal of these tests<br />
is to facilitate an understanding of the real-time<br />
process.<br />
Since the amount of heat conducted into the<br />
material is proportional to the cutting force, a<br />
process model has in fact been developed for<br />
calculation of local grinding forces. This model<br />
enables calculation of local grinding forces, provided<br />
local contact conditions and the set-in time<br />
of the grinding wheel are known.<br />
With the aid of this process model and<br />
CASTOR software (with the ability to simulate<br />
different gear finishing processes), various process<br />
strategies in gear profile grinding can be<br />
considered and analyzed. Calculations show that<br />
in a radial infeed strategy of the grinding wheel<br />
in the first cut, maximum forces are calculated in<br />
the root flank area. In the last cut, the maximum<br />
is calculated in the tooth root and the tip flank—<br />
areas known to be most exposed to grinding burn.<br />
With these calculations, the reasons for this exposure<br />
can be demonstrated. They also demonstrate<br />
that for the removal of an equidistant stock along<br />
the profile, the maximum forces can be observed<br />
in the area of the root flank. This is also the area<br />
known from the real process of gear profile grinding<br />
to be most sensitive to grinding burn.<br />
In order to evaluate the risk of grinding<br />
burn, both qualitatively and quantitatively, future<br />
research must focus on developing a specific<br />
value. Since the level of grinding forces observed<br />
depends very much on the ground profile angle,<br />
the goal in developing a specific value is finding<br />
a limit where, if the value exceeds the limit,<br />
grinding burn can be observed independent of the<br />
contact conditions.<br />
References<br />
1. Posa, J. “Barkhausen Noise Measurement in<br />
Quality Control and Grinding Process Optimization<br />
in Small-Batch, Carburized-Steel <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Grinding,” Proceedings of the 3rd International<br />
Conference on Barkhausen Noise and Micromagnetic<br />
Testing, July 2–3, 2001, Tampere,<br />
Finland.<br />
2. Schlattmeier, H. “Diskontinuierliches Zahnflankenprofilschleifen<br />
mit Korund,” Dissertation,<br />
RWTH Aachen, 2003.<br />
3. Klocke, F. and C. Gorgels. “Ansätze zur<br />
Entwicklung eines Schleifbrandkennwertes für<br />
das Zahnflankenprofilschleifen,” Proceedings of<br />
the 46th Conference on <strong>Gear</strong> and Transmission<br />
Research. WZL, RWTH Aachen University,<br />
2005.<br />
4. Klocke, F. and H. Schlattmeier. “Surface<br />
Damage Caused by <strong>Gear</strong> Profile Grinding and<br />
Its Effects on Flank Load-carrying Capacity,”<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, September/October 2004,<br />
pp. 44–53.<br />
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<strong>Gear</strong> Design:<br />
Multipoint Properties<br />
are Key to Selecting<br />
Thermoplastic Materials<br />
Jim Fagan and Ed Williams<br />
Jim Fagan is a product manager for the LNP Specialty<br />
Compounds division of GE Plastics. He has worked for<br />
LNP/GE Plastics for 14 years in various commercial<br />
and technical roles, including field sales and marketing,<br />
application development, technical service and product<br />
marketing. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical<br />
engineering and a master’s degree in business administration.<br />
Ed Williams is a regional technical leader for GE<br />
Plastics and chairman of the AGMA Plastic <strong>Gear</strong>ing<br />
Committee. A 1986 graduate of Pennsylvania State<br />
University with a B.S. in polymer science, he has<br />
been with LNP/GE Plastics since 1987. His primary<br />
responsibilities have included application development<br />
for internally lubricated, statically conductive,<br />
EMI shielding, and thermally conductive thermoplastic<br />
compounds.<br />
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Management<br />
Summary<br />
The palette of thermoplastic<br />
materials for gears has grown<br />
rapidly, as have the applications<br />
themselves. Designers need to<br />
be aware of key properties and<br />
attributes in selecting the right<br />
material.<br />
Introduction<br />
Thermoplastic gear applications<br />
have expanded from low-power, precision<br />
motion into more demanding power<br />
transmission needs, even in such difficult<br />
environments as automotive engine<br />
compartments. Thermoplastics have supplanted<br />
metals in a number of applications,<br />
beginning historically (as might<br />
be expected) with the replacement of die<br />
cast metal gears. The range of applications<br />
has expanded as thermoplastics<br />
have proved their worth, and they are<br />
now increasingly specified for a growing<br />
number of more demanding applications.<br />
While thermoplastic gears can be<br />
made by traditional gear machining<br />
methods, the majority of them are made<br />
by injection molding. With well-designed<br />
tooling, millions of gears at very tight<br />
tolerances can be turned out cost-effectively.<br />
Also attractive is the ability for<br />
part consolidation, including the molding<br />
of gear shaft and gear as a single unit, as<br />
well as one-piece compound gear units,<br />
where two or more spur or helical gears<br />
make up the design.<br />
Regardless of the gear geometry or<br />
how it is manufactured, determining<br />
which of the many available materials<br />
to use is generally one of the first steps<br />
in the design process. Importantly, the<br />
material gives the gear its physical properties<br />
and greatly affects its usability for<br />
a given application. For example, in a<br />
high-temperature environment, a metal<br />
gear would traditionally be selected. In<br />
recent years, high-temperature, internally<br />
lubricated thermoplastic compounds have<br />
become available, providing designers<br />
with alternative material options. This<br />
can potentially offer savings in production<br />
by reducing the manufacturing steps<br />
involved. These compounds can also<br />
provide lubrication without the need for<br />
external oil or grease, avoiding problems<br />
from deterioration of lubricants over time<br />
and eliminating the need for maintenance<br />
and recurring application of oils<br />
or greases.<br />
Finding Data on Thermoplastic<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Materials<br />
Historically the resins of choice for<br />
many thermoplastic gears were either<br />
neat polyamide (nylon) or neat polyoxymethylene<br />
(POM or acetal). As the<br />
available palette of materials has grown,<br />
and the weight, cost, corrosion resistance,<br />
low inertia, and noise advantages of thermoplastic<br />
gears have become more clear,<br />
interest has grown in thermoplastics for<br />
more demanding applications. In particular,<br />
the applicability of thermoplastics<br />
has been expanded by the development<br />
of specialized formulations that include<br />
reinforcement and internal lubrication.<br />
Despite the availability of new thermoplastic<br />
compounds, however, designers<br />
can find themselves hampered by<br />
a scarcity of load-carrying and wear<br />
performance data, at least when compared<br />
to the large amount of easily accessible<br />
material performance information<br />
on metals. Granted, a certain amount of<br />
the design process used for metal gears<br />
can be carried over to thermoplastic gear<br />
design. However, simple interpolation of<br />
material data from metal to plastic does<br />
not work, largely because of the differences<br />
between the long-term mechanical<br />
and thermal behavior of thermoplastics<br />
versus metals.<br />
Limitations of Single-Point Data<br />
When choosing materials for a given<br />
application, single-point data can provide<br />
a place to begin. Such data are readily<br />
available across a range of materials and<br />
are typically displayed on a material<br />
supplier’s technical datasheet. Attributes<br />
such as tensile strength, flexural modulus,<br />
and impact strength offer a snapshot<br />
of a material’s performance—but singlepoint<br />
data do not provide the whole<br />
picture. The reason lies in the inherent<br />
characteristics of thermoplastics. Over<br />
a given temperature range, the physical<br />
and mechanical properties of a thermoplastic<br />
will change more significantly<br />
than do those of a metal. For example,<br />
tensile strength and stiffness (modulus)<br />
will decline with increasing temperature.<br />
Single-point data does not capture these<br />
types of changes.<br />
Data-Development Initiatives<br />
Because real-world gear designs<br />
depend on multivariate data, GE Plastics<br />
set out to establish performance and processing<br />
attributes for some of its specialty<br />
compounds in relation to gear design<br />
across appropriate ranges of environmental<br />
conditions found in gear applications.<br />
The dynamic variable differs by<br />
attribute, but most are time- or temperature-related<br />
(among these are stiffness,<br />
tensile strength and coefficient of thermal<br />
expansion). Whatever the attribute, in<br />
a performance application such as gear<br />
design, engineers need to know how a<br />
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Table I—Common resins used for thermoplastic gears. Almost all can be modified for flame retardancy<br />
and can be reinforced with glass, carbon fibers or lubricants. Several have been alloyed with other<br />
resins to create an application-specific set of characteristics.<br />
Resin<br />
Polycarbonate<br />
Polyphenylene<br />
Oxide<br />
Polyoxymethylene<br />
(Acetal)<br />
Polyamide<br />
(Nylon) 6,6<br />
Polyphenylene<br />
Sulfide<br />
Polyphthalamide<br />
Polyetherimide<br />
Table II—Conventional single-point data for two grades of two different resins—a high modulus<br />
PPS and a lower modulus PA66. While this captures a number of resin attributes, it does not<br />
reflect some important dynamic data about, for example, tensile strength versus temperature (see<br />
Figures 1 & 2).<br />
ASTM<br />
Method<br />
Unit<br />
High Modulus<br />
PPS<br />
Specific Gravity D792 g/cm 3 1.69 1.03<br />
Mold Shrinkage D955 % 1–3.5 18–23<br />
Water Absorption (24<br />
hours)<br />
D570 % --- 0.20<br />
Tensile Strength (Break) D638 MPa 146 53<br />
Tensile Modulus D638 MPa 12,888 2,172<br />
Tensile Elongation<br />
(Break)<br />
D638 % 1.5 27<br />
Flexural Strength D790 MPa 200 76<br />
Flexural Modulus D790 MPa 11,000 2,320<br />
Notched Izod Impact D256 J/m 85 59<br />
Heat Deflection<br />
Temperature (1.82 MPa)<br />
PC<br />
Common<br />
Abbreviation<br />
PPO<br />
POM<br />
PA66<br />
PPS<br />
PPA<br />
PEI<br />
Key Resin Features<br />
High impact<br />
Good dimensional stability<br />
Low specific gravity<br />
Good dimensional stability<br />
Low moisture absorption<br />
Low wear factor<br />
Superior friction resistance<br />
Good chemical resistance<br />
Low specific gravity<br />
High strength<br />
High heat resistance<br />
Good chemical resistance<br />
Hydrolytic stability<br />
Good chemical resistance<br />
High heat resistance<br />
High heat resistance<br />
Good dimensional stability<br />
High strength<br />
D648 °C 269 78<br />
Lower<br />
Modulus<br />
PA66<br />
Flammability (UL94) --- V-0 @ 1.5 mm HB @ mm<br />
thermoplastic compound’s performance<br />
varies with time and temperature. Similar<br />
data is available for some of the more<br />
common engineering resins used in gearing,<br />
but our efforts concentrated on internally<br />
lubricated and glass fiber-reinforced<br />
compounds. In support of this effort, GE<br />
Plastics created a new laboratory specifically<br />
for developing performance data to<br />
support gear design in engineering thermoplastic<br />
materials.<br />
In relation to gears, the new lab generates<br />
thermoplastic material performance<br />
data at multiple temperatures and loads,<br />
and it can also measure gear accuracy and<br />
gear performance characteristics, including<br />
wear, friction, noise generation, and<br />
allowable tooth stress. In addition, the<br />
laboratory develops injection molding<br />
production parameters for tooling design<br />
and processing. Resins tested to date<br />
include compounds based on polycarbonate<br />
(PC), polyphenylene oxide (PPO),<br />
polyoxymethylene (POM or acetal),<br />
polyamide (PA), polyphenylene sulfide<br />
(PPS), polyphthalamide (PPA), and polyetherimide<br />
(PEI) (see Table I).<br />
Comparing Single-Point<br />
to Multivariate Data<br />
While space precludes the inclusion<br />
of specific data for a broad range of<br />
resins suitable for gears, we can compare<br />
single-point data with dynamic data<br />
ranges for two contrasting resins as a<br />
means of illustrating how multivariate<br />
data contain more useful information<br />
than single-point data. The first resin<br />
is a relatively high-modulus, internally<br />
lubricated, 30 percent glass fiber-reinforced<br />
polyphenylene sulfide; the second<br />
is a relatively low-modulus, low-wear<br />
PA66. (Important note: These data apply<br />
to two specific formulations. One advantage<br />
of thermoplastics is that they can<br />
be compounded, alloyed, or mixed using<br />
multiple resins, additives and processing<br />
or performance aids. Differing formulations<br />
result in differing performance and<br />
processing characteristics. Thus, it is<br />
important to know precisely the formulation<br />
to which a given data set applies.<br />
It is equally important to refrain from<br />
extrapolating data from known formulations<br />
to resins with similar descriptions,<br />
as generic descriptions such as “30 percent<br />
glass-filled” may not capture complete<br />
formulation details.)<br />
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There are two key conclusions to be<br />
drawn from this comparison of singlepoint<br />
data (Table II) and dynamic or multipoint<br />
data (Figures 1 and 2). First—and<br />
this is the main point—is that each type<br />
of thermoplastic resin may exhibit very<br />
different material behaviors (in this case,<br />
as a function of temperature) across a<br />
given application’s operating environment.<br />
Second, different thermoplastics<br />
can exhibit widely different performance<br />
for a given parameter. While these two<br />
material examples show very different<br />
performance characteristics, both have<br />
been successfully used in gearing, albeit<br />
in very different applications.<br />
Key Parameters Studied<br />
For a material to be successfully<br />
used in a gear application, it must meet<br />
several basic requirements. First, it must<br />
be strong enough to carry the transmitted<br />
load, both in a static position and as a<br />
repeated cyclic event. Second, it should<br />
not prematurely wear or cause wear on<br />
its mating gear. It must meet both of these<br />
requirements over the entire operating<br />
range of the application. Third, it should<br />
be dimensionally stable over the expected<br />
operating conditions of the application.<br />
A fourth requirement that is often missed<br />
is that the material should lend itself to a<br />
repeatable manufacturing process. Any<br />
test regimen selected should have these<br />
basic requirements in mind. Based on<br />
these general gear design requirements,<br />
as well as our experience with customer<br />
projects, we have gathered extensive data<br />
on the following performance properties:<br />
• Load Carrying Capability<br />
o Tensile strength<br />
o Tensile creep<br />
o Tensile fatigue<br />
o DMA (Shear)<br />
• Wear<br />
o <strong>Gear</strong> wear testing<br />
o Thrust washer wear testing<br />
o Dimensional stability<br />
• Dimensional Stability<br />
o Coefficient of thermal expansion<br />
• Processing<br />
o Thermal conductivity<br />
o Shear rate vs. viscosity<br />
o Specific heat<br />
o Mold shrinkage<br />
Figure 1—Comparison of tensile modulus for one grade of PA66 versus one grade of PPS resin. Note<br />
the changes in material behaviors as the temperature increases. This shift in performance with temperature<br />
is not captured by the single-point data in Table II. Resin grades were selected for maximum<br />
contrast and represent only one attribute. Do not use for general engineering purposes, as these data<br />
reflect only a range of values obtained in a specific series of testing at GE for specific grades (PPS =<br />
GE’s LNP Lubricomp OFL-4036 specialty compound; PA66 = GE’s LNP Lubriloy R specialty compound).<br />
Figure 2—Comparison of tensile strength for the same grades of PA66 and PPS in Figure 1. Again, note<br />
the fact that these dynamic data capture differences in material properties for each resin grade versus<br />
temperature, similar to Figure 1. Single-point data at room temperature would not convey the shift in<br />
performance with temperature change. Resin grades were selected for maximum contrast and represent<br />
only one attribute. Do not use for general engineering purposes, as these data reflect only a range<br />
of values obtained in a specific series of testing at GE for specific grades.<br />
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Figure 3—<strong>Gear</strong> with broken teeth.<br />
Figure 4—<strong>Gear</strong> with melted teeth.<br />
Figure 5—Thinned gear teeth.<br />
Load Carrying Capability<br />
(Bending Stress)<br />
When evaluating the load carrying<br />
capability of a gear tooth, it is useful to<br />
know a material’s strength characteristics.<br />
Even though the applied load is<br />
bending the tooth, the primary stress is<br />
on the side of the tooth in tension, and<br />
this is the location of most tooth failures<br />
due to overload (Fig. 3). For this reason<br />
we suggest looking at tensile strength and<br />
modulus as opposed to flexural strength.<br />
Tensile strength tests can be run at a<br />
variety of temperatures and can reveal<br />
information on a material’s strength and<br />
ductility (toughness).<br />
To assess the effect of the repeated<br />
nature of the load application in a gear<br />
set, some form of fatigue data is important.<br />
Flexural fatigue is a common test,<br />
but tensile fatigue testing can also be<br />
useful. Flexural fatigue testing requires<br />
a unique sample configuration, but the<br />
current ASTM standard (D671-93) has<br />
been withdrawn by ASTM and has not<br />
been replaced. Tensile fatigue tests can<br />
be run on the same type of sample used<br />
for other tensile tests, and tensile fatigue<br />
testing also better mimics the stress application<br />
seen in a one-directional gear-ongear<br />
wear test currently being run by GE<br />
Plastics. Fatigue failures in gears can<br />
look like overload failures (tooth breakage<br />
at root), or can lead to thermal failures<br />
as the repeated flexing of the tooth<br />
leads to hysteresis heating and material<br />
flow (Fig. 4).<br />
While it’s typical to consider the<br />
cyclic nature of gear loading in most<br />
applications, many applications require<br />
the gear to hold a load in a fixed position<br />
for some period of time. In these situations<br />
it will be important to understand<br />
the material’s creep performance—that<br />
is, its tendency toward permanent deformation.<br />
Under constant load, thermoplastic<br />
materials will exhibit varying degrees<br />
of permanent deformation, dependent on<br />
applied loading, resin type and reinforcement<br />
type. If, in a particular application,<br />
a gear is holding a load (that is, the teeth<br />
are under constant load), the teeth under<br />
load could deform permanently, potentially<br />
leading to increased noise, loss of<br />
conjugate action or outright tooth failure<br />
due to interference.<br />
Figure 6—Tensile strength vs. temperature.<br />
Rationale<br />
The physical properties of thermoplastics typically vary with temperature,<br />
so it is appropriate to test a target material across a range<br />
of temperatures that will be encountered in a given application.<br />
Test Method<br />
ASTM D638. Under controlled thermal conditions, the test specimen<br />
is pulled until it breaks. By measuring the force required to break<br />
the specimen, as well as the distance it stretches before breaking,<br />
this test produces a stress-strain diagram that is used to determine<br />
tensile strength, elongation and tensile modulus.<br />
Representative Data See Figures 1 and 2, above<br />
Wear Behavior<br />
Tribological factors are highly important<br />
in all gear applications. A material’s<br />
wear and friction characteristics are<br />
important to understand, because they<br />
can affect such critical factors as gear<br />
tooth life, tooth mesh and backlash, noise<br />
generation, and gear train efficiency.<br />
Self-lubricating properties and enhanced<br />
wear resistance are primary reasons that<br />
many designers switch to plastic gears.<br />
Consequently, the wear factor and coefficient<br />
of friction of a given resin are key<br />
properties to understand.<br />
Even if the material data suggest that<br />
a particular material is strong enough to<br />
carry the applied load for the number<br />
of cycles expected in the application,<br />
another concern is wear of the gear set.<br />
The removal of material from the active<br />
flank of a gear tooth can dramatically<br />
limit the life of the gear, since a thinner<br />
tooth may not support the design load of<br />
the application (Fig. 5). Wear behavior is<br />
influenced by the materials/fillers used in<br />
the gear pair, environmental conditions<br />
and contaminants, and the load condition<br />
of the application.<br />
Two different tests have been used<br />
to characterize the wear performance of<br />
gears. Traditional wear testing is done<br />
on a thrust washer wear configuration,<br />
which places the raised edge of a rotating<br />
disc (moving sample) in contact with<br />
another material (stationary counterface).<br />
The volume of material lost during the<br />
test is recorded, and a wear factor is calculated<br />
for both the moving and stationary<br />
sample. Measurements of coefficient of<br />
friction can also be made during the test.<br />
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Versions of this test have been widely<br />
used to determine if a particular material<br />
pair “wears well” or not. Failures can be<br />
characterized as a large loss of material<br />
(high wear) or a thermal failure (material<br />
flow, “PV” or pressure-velocity failure)<br />
due to frictional heat generation.<br />
A new type of wear test using actual<br />
molded gears has also been developed. In<br />
this test two molded gears are run together<br />
at a predetermined speed and load.<br />
Any loss of material from the face of the<br />
gears is detected as a shift in the phase<br />
angle between the driving and driven<br />
gear shafts. This phase shift is expressed<br />
as a linear value and charted against<br />
the time the gear set is running. This<br />
wear value is a combination of the loss<br />
of material from the gear tooth and any<br />
additional deflection caused by the tooth<br />
thinning or increased flank temperatures.<br />
Some might describe the value as an<br />
increase in backlash, but backlash has a<br />
specific definition in gearing that doesn’t<br />
fit this value. This same test can be used<br />
to generate fatigue curves (S-N) for a set<br />
of gears by simply running the gears at<br />
a series of loads/speeds and plotting the<br />
curves vs. cycles. Tooth wear as a factor<br />
in failure must be included. Similar tests<br />
are being adopted by the industry for<br />
application testing and validation.<br />
Dimensional Stability<br />
Even the best-designed gear set that<br />
uses an appropriate material for the<br />
strength and wear requirements of the<br />
application can fail if the gears cannot be<br />
held at the proper operational center distance.<br />
Two aspects of thermoplastics that<br />
can make this a challenge are changes<br />
in the size of the gear due to temperature<br />
change and moisture absorption. For<br />
most materials the thermal component<br />
will overshadow any growth due to moisture<br />
absorption. A gear designer needs to<br />
consider the gear mesh not only at a maximum<br />
and minimum material condition<br />
(as a result of runout in the finished gear),<br />
but also at those conditions as influenced<br />
by the maximum and minimum temperature<br />
in the application. Multi-point coefficient<br />
of thermal expansion data can be<br />
consulted to evaluate this effect.<br />
Figures 6–12 discuss the testing of<br />
different gear-related parameters. In each<br />
figure, you will find (a) the rationale for<br />
considering a parameter as important to<br />
Figure 7—Tensile fatigue.<br />
Rationale<br />
Fatigue tests for thermoplastics simulate cyclic loading conditions<br />
that lead to fatigue failure. These tests can be important in characterizing<br />
a material’s response in use. This test is useful because it<br />
can provide insight into a material’s performance under load conditions<br />
similar to what gear teeth see in operation. Standardized tests<br />
exist for both flexural fatigue and tensile fatigue.<br />
Test Method<br />
Specimens are strained under a given load at a specific frequency,<br />
generally one that does not heat the specimen. The specimen may<br />
be loaded with a strain-controlled configuration that could result in<br />
reduced stress if elongation or yielding occurs. The applied load is<br />
the same on the first loading cycle as on the last cycle.<br />
Representative Data Tensile fatigue of a PPO-based compound at 23°C, 24 percent<br />
relative humidity (GE’s LNP Lubriloy Z specialty compound). There<br />
was no break at the 15 MPa stress level over 1.000.E+06 cycles.<br />
Figure 8—Tensile creep.<br />
Rationale<br />
Test Method<br />
Representative Data<br />
Under constant load, thermoplastic materials will exhibit varying<br />
degrees of permanent deformation. This is dependent on applied<br />
loading, resin type and reinforcement type. This can be important<br />
when gears are expected to support a load for a period of time in<br />
a static position and then resume rotational operation at a later<br />
time.<br />
ISO 899-1. This is a method for determining the tensile creep of<br />
plastics in the form of standard test specimens under specified<br />
pretreatment conditions of time, temperature, and humidity.<br />
Tensile creep of a flame-retardant polycarbonate resin grade<br />
(GE’s LNP Lubriloy D-FR non-chlorinated, non-brominated flameretardant<br />
system specialty compound), at 23°C and 60°C.<br />
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Figure 9—Wear factor.<br />
Test Method<br />
Representative Data<br />
Proprietary test developed by GE LNP Specialty<br />
Compounds. In this test, the plastic test sample rotates<br />
against a stationary counter face. Any pair of materials<br />
can be evaluated; however, the standard test is the<br />
thermoplastic compound of interest on 1141 cold rolled<br />
steel with a 12–16 µin finish. The weight loss of the plastic<br />
sample is converted to volume wear (W), and (W) is then<br />
used to calculate wear factor (K).<br />
See Table III<br />
Table III—Representative resin wear factor K and COF (coefficient of friction, static &<br />
dynamic) versus steel and unmodified POM. K factor is determined at 40 psi moving<br />
50 ft./min; unit is 10 -10 in 5 -min/ft-lb-hr.<br />
Specialty<br />
Compound<br />
Tested 1<br />
PC 1 vs. Steel<br />
Vs. POM<br />
POM vs. Steel<br />
Vs. POM<br />
PPS vs. Steel<br />
Vs. POM<br />
PEI vs. Steel<br />
Vs. POM<br />
Wear factor<br />
(K moving<br />
)<br />
at 40 psi,<br />
50 fpm<br />
60<br />
16<br />
10<br />
(failed)<br />
33<br />
3<br />
124<br />
(failed)<br />
Wear Factor<br />
(K stationary<br />
)<br />
at 40 psi,<br />
50 fpm<br />
0<br />
40<br />
0<br />
(failed)<br />
10<br />
73<br />
3<br />
(failed)<br />
Static COF at<br />
40 psi,<br />
50 fpm<br />
0.09<br />
0.17<br />
0.24<br />
0.16<br />
0.35<br />
0.36<br />
0.11<br />
0.32<br />
Dynamic COF<br />
at 40 psi, 5<br />
0 fpm<br />
0.16<br />
0.19<br />
0.38<br />
0.13<br />
0.44<br />
0.46<br />
0.17<br />
0.26<br />
1<br />
This table reports data for the following LNP Specialty Compound resin grades: PC = GE’s Lubriloy<br />
D specialty compound; POM = Lubriloy K specialty compound; PPS = Lubricomp OFL-4036 specialty<br />
compound; PEI = Ultem 4001 specialty compound.<br />
gears; (b) the test method; and (c) representative<br />
data. The data are necessarily<br />
representative because space limitations<br />
preclude inclusion of all data gathered to<br />
date for all compounds evaluated.<br />
Dimensional Accuracy<br />
Typically, the mold shrinkage values<br />
given for a material have been determined<br />
by measuring the shrinkage of a<br />
5" x 1/2" x 1/8" rectangular bar measured<br />
in accordance with ASTM D-955 test<br />
methods, or a 60 mm x 60 mm x 2 mm<br />
plaque for ISO 294 test methods. These<br />
values are usually given corresponding<br />
to the dimensions that are parallel (flow)<br />
and perpendicular (transverse) to the<br />
direction of melt flow in the part. They<br />
are normally expressed as “inch/inch”<br />
or sometimes as a percentage. These<br />
mold shrinkage values can be useful in<br />
comparing the relative shrink rate of one<br />
material to another, but they should not<br />
be treated as absolutes. Mold shrinkage<br />
can and will vary with part thickness,<br />
mold layout, processing variations, and<br />
mold temperature.<br />
Of greater value is mold shrinkage<br />
data collected on an actual part, whether<br />
it is a simple prototype mold or a similar<br />
application. It was this approach that was<br />
Figure 10—Actual gear wear.<br />
Rationale<br />
Test Method<br />
Representative<br />
Data<br />
A material’s wear and friction<br />
characteristics are important to<br />
understand, because they can affect<br />
critical factors such as gear tooth<br />
life, tooth mesh and backlash, noise<br />
generation, and train efficiency. Selflubricating<br />
properties and enhanced<br />
wear resistance are primary reasons<br />
that many designers switch to plastic<br />
gears. Consequently, the wear factor<br />
and coefficient of friction of a given<br />
resin are key properties to understand.<br />
Proprietary test developed by GE LNP<br />
Specialty Compounds. In this test, two<br />
mated gears are rotated by a servo<br />
motor connected to the drive gear. The<br />
gears are run at 509 rpm at 22.2 inchpounds<br />
torque until failure or 10 6 cycles.<br />
Actual gear wear of selected resin<br />
grades. Seven grades show less wear<br />
than standard lubricated POM (dark gray<br />
line). Three exhibit greater wear. The<br />
wear value shown reflects a change in<br />
the tooth thickness of the tested pair.<br />
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used to study the effect internal lubricants<br />
and reinforcements have on the overall<br />
accuracy of a gear. A series of gear<br />
cavities based on a common spur gear<br />
geometry was created to mold a range of<br />
materials. The molded sample gears were<br />
then used to study how material composition<br />
affects dimensional parameters,<br />
including:<br />
• Warpage<br />
• Eccentricity<br />
• Radial composite error<br />
• Profile and helix deviation<br />
• Pitch deviation<br />
Specific data are not supplied here,<br />
because the range of conditions and<br />
results generated are both too extensive<br />
for presentation and are beyond the scope<br />
of this article.<br />
Your Design Methodology<br />
Key to specifying materials for gear<br />
applications is a full understanding of<br />
material properties in the conditions that<br />
the gear train will see in use. The availability<br />
of multipoint data is crucial for<br />
this engineering process. As a specifier,<br />
you will be best served by working with<br />
materials experts who can provide a rich<br />
dataset—one that captures performance<br />
across the full range of end-use environments—and,<br />
further, can work with both<br />
design and manufacturing to refine the<br />
selections from a universe of outstanding<br />
material candidates.<br />
LNP, Lubriloy, Lubricomp and Ultem<br />
are trademarks of GE Plastics.<br />
Figure 11—High shear viscosity.<br />
Rationale<br />
The screw in the barrel of an injection molding machine can create<br />
high shear as it turns, as can high pressure flow through runners<br />
and cavities in the molds themselves. This test is important for<br />
determining a variety of processing parameters.<br />
Test Method<br />
In this test, a capillary rheometer measures the viscosity of the<br />
resin under high shear rate conditions (>100 sec -1 ). The material<br />
is kept at a constant temperature in the barrel as it is pushed by a<br />
piston through a capillary die at various rates of shear. The test is<br />
performed over a range of temperatures and shear rates that correspond<br />
to typical processing conditions.<br />
Representative Data Example of high shear viscosity data (fire retardant polycarbonate,<br />
GE’s LNP Lubriloy D-FR non-chlorinated, non-brominated flame<br />
retardant system specialty compound) at three temperatures: 265,<br />
280 and 295°C).<br />
Figure 12—Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).<br />
Rationale<br />
CTE helps predict dimensional changes as a result of changes in<br />
temperature. Dimensional changes are measured in two directions,<br />
one in the flow of the resin during molding and the second across<br />
or perpendicular to that flow. The reason is that many thermoplastics,<br />
especially thermoplastics filled, for example, with glass fiber<br />
reinforcement (in which the fibers tend to align themselves along<br />
the axis of flow), can exhibit differing dimensional changes in the<br />
flow and across-the-flow directions.<br />
Test Method<br />
ASTM E831. In a furnace or temperature bath, a test specimen is<br />
measured at room temperature and across a specified range of<br />
temperatures, with a soaking period at each temperature of interest.<br />
The results are then graphed.<br />
Representative Data Coefficient of thermal expansion for a grade of PEI-based<br />
compound, measured with the flow and cross-flow (“X-flow”).<br />
Compound grade is GE’s Lubricomp BGU specialty compound.<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 4 9
EVENTS<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturers and End Users<br />
Congregate in Shanghai<br />
Statistics compiled from the China Machinery Industry<br />
Federation say that the demand in China for gears has exceeded<br />
$6 billion in the construction portion of the industry alone.<br />
There are about 1,000 gear manufacturers in China, and industry<br />
experts predict that those figures will increase every year with<br />
more automotive and manufacturing projects.<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> China was held concurrently with the Machine<br />
Components 2006 Show featuring fasteners, chain transmissions,<br />
gears, springs, powder metallurgy, hydraulics and pneumatics<br />
from September 25–28 in Shanghai.<br />
In addition to the networking, visitors also had the option<br />
of attending any of four gear-related presentations. Speeches<br />
focused on gear rolling technology, gear lubrication development<br />
with Chinese-specific solutions, and autoshift gearbox<br />
technology, making <strong>Gear</strong> China an educational experience<br />
as well.<br />
For George Boon, sales manager at Schnyder SA, a manufacturer<br />
of gear cutting tools, the decision to exhibit at <strong>Gear</strong><br />
China just made sense because of logistics.<br />
“We were very impressed with the quality and quantity of<br />
visitors. It was especially important when you take into consideration<br />
our business in China. It’s a huge country and there is<br />
no way we could’ve met so many of our Chinese customers in<br />
just three and a half days without traveling all over. Shanghai<br />
is centrally located for most of our customer base and we got to<br />
see a lot more people because of this,” he says.<br />
Samputensili SpA attended <strong>Gear</strong> China in 2003 and<br />
noticed significant improvement in this fall’s program. Patrizia<br />
Fiaccadori, marketing manager at Samputensili, says “Although<br />
we did get a good overall impression of the show three years<br />
ago, the number of exhibitors and visitors was still relatively<br />
low. This was probably due to the fact that there are so many<br />
local gear-related exhibitions in China that deciding which one<br />
to attend can often be confusing. This year, however, we saw<br />
many important local exhibitors and a significant increase in the<br />
number of visitors compared to last year and, of course, three<br />
years ago.”<br />
She continues that Samputensili SpA has emphasized local<br />
marketing in China for the past decade, mostly through the SU<br />
Beijing sales office. Earlier this year, the company opened its<br />
first cutting tool manufacturing facility in Shanghai and finds<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> China to be an important event.<br />
“We chose to be at this event firstly because practically all<br />
major domestic gear manufacturers are there, but also because<br />
many interesting end-users visit the show. Even if these industries<br />
do not manufacture gears themselves, they use them. This<br />
event is a must if you operate in gear-related areas,” she says.<br />
5 0 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
EVENTS<br />
Power Transmission and <strong>Gear</strong>ing Conference<br />
Call for Papers<br />
The 10th International Power Transmission and <strong>Gear</strong>ing<br />
Conference will be held in conjunction with the ASME<br />
International Design Engineering Technical Conferences in<br />
Las Vegas, Nevada between September 4–7, 2007, along with<br />
eleven other ASME conferences.<br />
ASME’s Power Transmission and <strong>Gear</strong>ing Committee is<br />
soliciting abstracts for the following topics:<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Design and Analysis<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Strength and Durability<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Dynamics and Noise<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Diagnostics<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Manufacturing<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Lubrication and Efficiency<br />
• Engineered Surfaces and Tribology<br />
• Transmissions<br />
• Chains, Belts, and Traction Drives<br />
• Couplings, Clutches, and Bearings<br />
Please send your abstract as an e-mail attachment to<br />
kahraman.1@osu.edu before December 15, 2006.<br />
November 1–3—2006 Motor and Motion Association<br />
Fall Technical Conference. Marriott St. Louis Airport<br />
Hotel, St. Louis, MO. Presentations, break-out sessions and<br />
tabletop exhibits focus on design, materials, performance and<br />
testing for suppliers to the motion control industry. Prices<br />
range from $250–$650. For more information, contact the<br />
Motion and Motor Association on the Internet at www.smma.<br />
org or by telephone at (508) 979-5935.<br />
November 8–10—Advanced <strong>Gear</strong> Design and Theory.<br />
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI. Users,<br />
beginning gear technologists and gear designers learn about<br />
proper selection, design application and use. Additional<br />
topics include manufacturing methods and considerations;<br />
inspection and quality control; materials and heat treatment;<br />
drawing data requirements, formats and specifications; basics<br />
of load capacity rating; and lubrication types and methods.<br />
$1,095. For more information, contact the University of<br />
Wisconsin School of Continuing Education on the Internet at<br />
www.uwm.edu or by telephone at (414) 227-3121.<br />
MIDWEST GEAR<br />
& TOOL, INC.<br />
15700 Common Rd.<br />
Roseville, MI 48066<br />
midwestgear@sbcglobal.net<br />
CONTACT:<br />
CRAIG D. ROSS<br />
(586) 779-1300<br />
FAX (586) 779-6790<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 5 1
N.A. Woodworth<br />
Workholding Worldwide<br />
“Quick-Pitch” Diaphragm<br />
Only Requires Half-Turn<br />
to Lock Jaw In Place<br />
Fixed Length Wedge Pin<br />
Requires No Adjustment<br />
FEATURES:<br />
• Jaw change in 60 seconds<br />
• Accommodates any number of<br />
gear teeth<br />
• Compliance for tooth space variation<br />
• Optional synchronizing pins for<br />
auto-load<br />
• Standard “pull-back” action<br />
• Centrifugal force compensation for<br />
higher speeds<br />
• Minimal maintenance, no sliding parts<br />
• Lightweight assembly<br />
• Ideal for hard turning and grinding<br />
applications<br />
2002 Stephenson Hwy., Troy, MI 48083<br />
Phone: 800-544-3823 • Fax: 248-743-4401<br />
www.itwworkholding.com • sales@nawoodworth.com<br />
ISO9001:2000 Registered Company<br />
If you want to produce parts like these, your best choice is<br />
Internal<br />
Whirling<br />
ONLY<br />
Profile<br />
Rolling<br />
EVENTS<br />
November 14–16—Aerospace Design and Development<br />
Show. Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA. Design<br />
engineers, suppliers, development engineers and managers<br />
working in airframe, components, engine design and<br />
related subsystems can attend forums on design tools; rapid<br />
prototyping; simulation and modeling; materials; avionics<br />
design; managing strategies; aerodynamics; standardization,<br />
accreditation and regulations; outsourcing; next generation<br />
technologies; airframe, propulsion and sub-systems design<br />
and future aerospace design. The show is free to attend and<br />
includes 80 paper presentations. For more information, visit<br />
the conference website at www.aerospacedesign-expo.com.<br />
November 14–16—UTS Metal <strong>Gear</strong> Design. UTS<br />
facility, Rockford, IL. The course covers gear fundamentals,<br />
gear tooth form, gear geometry, standard proportions, quality,<br />
gear modifications, gear design considerations and the gear<br />
design process. An hour of consultation with UTS gear<br />
design experts is included. Attendees receive free access to<br />
Fundamentals of <strong>Gear</strong>ing, an e-learning course from UTS.<br />
$1,250. For more information, visit UTS online at www.uts.<br />
com or call (815) 963-2220.<br />
November 16–17—<strong>Gear</strong>s 2006. Holiday Inn at the<br />
Manchester Airport, Manchester U.K. The first day’s seminar<br />
is broken down into the following categories: process<br />
industries; environment; design and manufacture; and total<br />
cost of ownership. Day two covers transportation; lubrication;<br />
and a plenary lecture. Price packages range from the allinclusive<br />
option at 380 pounds (approximately $713) to 144<br />
pounds (approximately $270) for a half-day seminar. For<br />
more information, contact The British <strong>Gear</strong> Association by<br />
e-mail at admin@bga.org.uk or visit the show’s website at<br />
www.gears2006.com.<br />
December 4–7—<strong>Gear</strong> School 2006. Gleason Cutting<br />
Tools facility, Loves Park, IL. Covers gear cutting, forming,<br />
generating, shaping, hobbing, tool tolerance vs. gear<br />
tolerance, tool design, use and maintenance, gear inspection<br />
and analysis. $895 includes a handbook, group dinner and<br />
all lunches. For more information, contact Gleason Cutting<br />
Tools by telephone at (815) 877-8900 or on the Internet at<br />
www.gleason.com.<br />
External<br />
Whirling<br />
201 934-8262 www.leistritzcorp.com<br />
Leistritz Corp. 165 Chestnut Street Allendale, NJ 07401<br />
Keyseating<br />
Share Your News with Our Readers!<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
1425 Lunt Avenue<br />
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007<br />
robin@geartechnology.com or call (847) 437-6604<br />
5 2 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
Coming Soon 2007<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
For more Information<br />
Call Ryan King at 847-437-6604
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
Chuck Bunch Appointed<br />
as NAM Chairman<br />
The National Association of Manufacturers board of<br />
directors unanimously approved the nomination of Charles E.<br />
(Chuck) Bunch, chairman of the board and chief executive<br />
officer of Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries Inc., to become<br />
NAM Chairman for the 2007–2008 term.<br />
PPG is a global supplier of coatings, chemicals, optical<br />
products, glass and fiberglass, with 110 manufacturing<br />
facilities and equity affiliates in more than 20 countries.<br />
Bunch has served as vice chairman to NAM chairman John<br />
Luke, chairman and chief executive officer of MeadWestvaco<br />
Corp., since October 1, 2005.<br />
Bunch joined PPG in<br />
1979 and held a series of<br />
management positions before<br />
being named general<br />
manager of architectural<br />
coatings in 1992. He was<br />
made vice president of<br />
that unit in 1994 and vice<br />
president, fiberglass, in<br />
1995. Bunch was elected<br />
senior vice president of<br />
strategic planning and<br />
corporate services in<br />
1997, and executive vice<br />
president, coatings in 2000.<br />
In July 2002, Bunch was<br />
Charles E. (Chuck) Bunch<br />
named president, chief operating officer and board member,<br />
becoming chief executive officer in March 2005, and taking<br />
his current post in July 2005.<br />
As chairman of NAM, Bunch will focus on reducing the<br />
costs of manufacturing in the U.S., particularly with regard to<br />
reducing energy prices, taxes, and litigation, and working for<br />
a solution to the asbestos crisis.<br />
“NAM is indeed fortunate to have a leader of Chuck<br />
Bunch’s stature as chairman,” said NAM president John<br />
Engler. “Chuck is well known throughout the business<br />
community as an inspired manager and visionary leader. We<br />
all look forward to his chairmanship.”<br />
The NAM board also confirmed Michael E. Campbell,<br />
chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arch<br />
Chemicals, Inc., of Norwalk, CT, to serve as NAM vice<br />
chairman.<br />
Campbell will serve as vice chairman during Bunch’s<br />
chairmanship, after which he will succeed Bunch for a twoyear<br />
term as chairman.<br />
AGMA Seeks New Vice President<br />
Bill Bradley, AGMA’s current vice president of the<br />
technical division, will retire at the end of 2006, and the<br />
association is currently accepting applications for his<br />
replacement.<br />
The vice president, technical division is the senior<br />
technical employee and reports to the president. He/she is<br />
responsible for managing and operating technical activities,<br />
including those related to the development and maintenance<br />
of all U.S. and international standards; for operation and<br />
development of several technical programs, conferences and<br />
seminars; for relationships with outside vendors, contractors<br />
and educators; for operation of member committees necessary<br />
for the association’s technical programs; for relationships<br />
with domestic and international members and prospects,<br />
associations, universities and other organizations as<br />
necessary.<br />
The VP manages a staff of three and is also responsible for<br />
the relationship management of volunteers.<br />
Suggested qualifications include an engineering degree<br />
with sufficient gear experience; a working knowledge of and<br />
experience with ANSI and ISO standards; proven management<br />
ability; strong public speaking and writing skills; and effective<br />
member relations.<br />
To apply, e-mail a current resume to vptech@agma.org.<br />
ISO Releases<br />
New <strong>Gear</strong> Standards<br />
ISO’s Technical Committee on <strong>Gear</strong>s, comprised of a<br />
multi-national delegation, published several new standards,<br />
including:<br />
ISO 6336-1:2006, Calculation of load capacity of spur<br />
and helical gears—Part 1: Basic principles, introduction and<br />
general influence factors.<br />
ISO 6336-2:2006, Calculation of load capacity of spur<br />
and helical gears—Part 2: Calculation of surface durability<br />
(pitting).<br />
ISO 6336-3:2006, Calculation of load capacity of spur and<br />
helical gears—Part 3: Calculation of tooth bending strength.<br />
ISO 6336-6:2006, Calculation of load capacity of spur<br />
and helical gears—Part 6: Calculation of service life under<br />
variable load.<br />
ISO 23509:2006, Bevel and hypoid gear geometry.<br />
The AGMA Helical <strong>Gear</strong> Rating (ISO 6336) and Bevel<br />
<strong>Gear</strong>ing (ISO 23509) committees served as the technical<br />
advisory groups, determining the U.S. position on technical<br />
issues, throughout the development of these standards. A<br />
more detailed explanation is available at www.iso.org.<br />
5 4 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
Philadelphia <strong>Gear</strong> Offers 24/7<br />
On-Site Technical Support<br />
Philadelphia <strong>Gear</strong> announces its new On-site Technical<br />
Services (OTS) group, available twenty-four hours a day,<br />
seven days a week.<br />
As an onsite solution to gearbox-related issues, OTS<br />
allows U.S. consumers to cut downtime caused by gear<br />
and transmission repairs. Removal, reinstallation, in-place<br />
machining, onsite overhauls, alignment, oil analysis and many<br />
other power transmission maintenance services are offered.<br />
“It only takes one call for Philadelphia <strong>Gear</strong> to begin the<br />
evaluation process, dispatch a technician from one of five<br />
regional service centers, or schedule a ‘job walk’ in order<br />
to thoroughly understand the scope of the project and, most<br />
importantly, propose a solution,” says Chuck Zirkle, manager<br />
for the OTS program.<br />
Additionally, he says the company is in the position to<br />
supply OEM parts, then install them to bring decades-old<br />
gearboxes into “as-new” condition. Philadelphia <strong>Gear</strong>’s<br />
service technicians will provide hands-on support throughout<br />
the process.<br />
“OTS enables customers to stay focused on their business,<br />
while we seamlessly handle the repair with a ‘one-stopshop’<br />
philosophy,” says Gerry Matteson, Philadelphia <strong>Gear</strong>’s<br />
general manager. “By digitizing more than 3,000,000 pages of<br />
proprietary technical documents, we now have instant access<br />
to critical information from anywhere in the world with just a<br />
few keystrokes.”<br />
TRUE DIMENSION<br />
GEAR INSPECTION <br />
+/- .001 mm<br />
Repeatability<br />
Ikona Exec Featured in Online Broadcast<br />
Ikona <strong>Gear</strong>’s CEO, Ray Polman, was featured live on<br />
Market News First on September 5.<br />
According to the company’s press release, he discussed<br />
the company’s goals and current position in the stock market<br />
on the show.<br />
Market News First is an online market news provider that<br />
brings investors current news on the market.<br />
Ikona’s gearing technology was invented in Russia<br />
between 1986–1991 for a lightweight, long-range, military<br />
assault helicopter. Laith Nosh acquired rights to the new gear<br />
invention and imported the technology to North America.<br />
From 1992–2001, Ikona’s engineers worked under Dr. John<br />
R. Colbourne in the development and commercialization<br />
of powertrain products that incorporate the patented gear<br />
technology.<br />
<br />
• 0-12” OD CAPACITY<br />
• 0-9” ID CAPACITY<br />
• SHAFT CAPABLE <br />
• SHOP HARDENED<br />
• LOWEST COST IN THE INDUSTRY<br />
Call to use gage for your next machine run off<br />
90 Days at NO CHARGE<br />
UNITED TOOL SUPPLY<br />
8 5 1 O H I O P I K E • C I N C I N N A T I , O H 4 5 2 4 5<br />
TOLL FREE: (800) 755-0516<br />
FAX: (513) 752-5599 • EMAIL: unitedtool1@aol.com<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 5 5
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
Northstar Aerospace and Rolls-Royce<br />
Sign Long-Term Agreement<br />
Northstar Aerospace was awarded a seven-year contract<br />
by Rolls-Royce Corp. to provide machining for gearboxes<br />
and related parts used in commercial and military aircraft. The<br />
contract is estimated to provide $8 million in annual revenue<br />
to Northstar once in full production.<br />
Northstar is establishing a facility in Anderson, IN to<br />
function as a specialized feeder plant for Rolls-Royce.<br />
The Rolls-Royce facility in Indianapolis is the company’s<br />
largest manufacturing operation in North America. They<br />
design, develop and manufacture engines and components<br />
for various fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, including the<br />
Joint Strike Fighter, Embraer regional jets, Cessna Citation X<br />
corporate jet, V-22 tilt-rotor helicopter and other light singleand<br />
twin-engine helicopters.<br />
“This contract is the latest in our growing relationship<br />
with Rolls-Royce. The proximity of a facility in Anderson<br />
provides the opportunity for Northstar to become a primary<br />
supply partner with Rolls-Royce, specializing in gearboxes<br />
and related components for Rolls-Royce engines used in<br />
defense and commercial applications,” says Mark Emery,<br />
Northstar Aerospace’s president and CEO.<br />
According to Northstar’s press release, the new facility<br />
will employ 40 people, mostly CNC machinists, by late 2007.<br />
The company estimates beginning to supply Rolls-Royce<br />
within the next 90 days and full production is estimated in<br />
2008.<br />
Mazda Hofu Plant Produces<br />
25 Millionth Transmission<br />
Mazda Motor Corp. announced that cumulative production<br />
of vehicle transmissions in the Nakanoseki district of its Hofu<br />
plant in Yamaguchi reached 25 million units. In addition,<br />
the company announced plans to increase annual production<br />
capacity of automatic transmissions for front-wheel-drive<br />
models from 655,000 to 764,000 units in response to the<br />
global demand for the Mazda 3 and Mazda 5.<br />
According to the company’s press release, the 25-millionunit<br />
milestone was achieved in 24 years and 9 months since<br />
the Hofu plant began production in December 1981. After<br />
production of the automotive parts began in 1981, the Hofu<br />
Plant No. 1 was built in the Nishinoura district in 1982<br />
for vehicle production. Hofu plant No. 2 was added in the<br />
Nishinoura district in 1992 for vehicle production.<br />
Lufkin Industries Announces Promotion<br />
of Larry Hoes to Executive VP and COO<br />
Lufkin Industries promoted Larry M. Hoes to executive<br />
vice president and COO.<br />
Hoes has been an executive officer since 1996. In his<br />
new position, he will manage the operations of the oil field<br />
division directly, including foundry operations. All vice<br />
presidents/general managers of the power transmission and<br />
trailer divisions will report to him.<br />
“I am pleased to announce the promotion of Larry Hoes,<br />
a veteran Lufkin executive officer who has led the substantial<br />
growth of our oil field division into a position of worldwide<br />
industry leadership,” says Douglas V. Smith, Lufkin’s<br />
president and CEO.<br />
Tool Maker Expands to<br />
Meet Automotive Demand<br />
Engineered Tools Corp., a manufacturer of carbide<br />
cutting tools used in production of spiral bevel ring gears<br />
and pinions, announced the opening of its new <strong>Gear</strong> Cutting<br />
Systems Division facility. The expansion was driven by the<br />
Caro, MI-based company’s recent positioning as a supplier<br />
to the automotive industry, which was seen primarily as an<br />
opportunity to grow new business.<br />
According to John Ketterer, director of operations for<br />
Engineered Tools, the move—completed in October—was<br />
also made with an eye on the potential for meaningful growth<br />
within that market.“We had been looking for an avenue to<br />
expand our business,” he says, “and because this market has<br />
a significant percentage within the automotive industry, and<br />
given the state of that business, we took the risk of expanding<br />
within it.”<br />
The new 4,000-square-foot facility, located in Troy, MI,<br />
positions the toolmaker in close proximity to the Detroit<br />
axle manufacturing market. And, says Ketterer, given the<br />
company’s growth beginning in 2004 and continuing through<br />
this year, he believes the timing of the expansion—despite the<br />
acknowledged risk—will dovetail with an eventual upturn for<br />
suppliers to the automotive market.<br />
“After all, even though that market is very weak, currently<br />
it was new business growth to us,” he says. “And entering it<br />
on the downside was gaining current market share with the<br />
potential for growth within the market.”<br />
But risk or not, Ketterer says that the expansion was needed<br />
in any case.“We needed the room for expansion anyway, as<br />
our Caro manufacturing facility is full,” he says. “So, we<br />
basically killed two birds with one stone. The facility was<br />
built to suit for our needs, and will accommodate our current<br />
5 6 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
workload with enough room to accommodate significant<br />
growth in this business into the future.”<br />
For more information:<br />
Engineered Tools Corp. <strong>Gear</strong> Cutting Systems Division<br />
1307 East Maple Road, Ste. G<br />
Troy, MI 48083<br />
Phone: (248) 619-1616<br />
Fax: (248) 619-1717<br />
Engineered Tools Corp. Headquarters<br />
2710 West Caro Road<br />
Caro, MI 48723<br />
Phone: (989) 673-8733<br />
Fax: (989) 673-5886<br />
Star Cutter Acquires<br />
Northern Tool Sale and Service<br />
Star Cutter Company of Farmington Hills, MI, announced<br />
the acquisition by stock purchase of Northern Tool Sales &<br />
Service (NTSS) of Warren, MI, effective October 31.<br />
Northern Tool Sales & Service is a design-and-build<br />
manufacturer of tooling concepts for special drills, reamers,<br />
step drills, form tools and solid carbide tooling, supplying<br />
approximately 170 customers in the ABS systems, cylinder<br />
head, and engine block manufacturing industries.<br />
Star Cutter manufactures gear hobbing and shaping<br />
cutting tools, milling cutters, gundrills and reamers, carbide<br />
tools, PCD tools, and drills, selling through its partner, Star<br />
SU LLC. Star Cutter plans to integrate all NTSS customers<br />
with Star Cutter and Star SU.<br />
Brad Lawton, president of Star Cutter, says, “This<br />
acquisition is synergistic, as well as complementary, to our<br />
market strategy for tool sales worldwide.”<br />
Chris Schulte, president of Northern Tool Sales & Service,<br />
says, “The sale to Star Cutter increases our ability to utilize the<br />
best technology of both corporations to increase our market<br />
penetration and service to our existing and potential customer<br />
base through Star SU.”<br />
Do your gears need:<br />
More strength?<br />
Longer life?<br />
Shot peening is the answer.<br />
To learn more, subscribe to<br />
The Shot Peener. The Shot<br />
Peener is dedicated to raising<br />
the awareness and appreciation<br />
for the shot peening<br />
process.<br />
Magazine Subscription Request<br />
I want a free subscription to The Shot Peener.<br />
Please send it to the address below.<br />
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Name ______________________________________Title<br />
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Email Address ______________________________________________________<br />
Fax: (574)256-5222<br />
Mail: The Shot Peener<br />
56790 Magnetic Drive, Mishawaka, Indiana 46545 USA<br />
The Shot Peener: www.shotpeener.com/EI/tsp/index.html<br />
GT<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 5 7
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
AGMA Foundation’s<br />
New Approach Yields Value for the <strong>Gear</strong> Industry<br />
Starting last year, the AGMA Foundation Board redefined<br />
its mission.<br />
Kyle Seymour, president and CEO of Xtek Inc., is board<br />
chairman. He outlines their new goals as two-pronged. The<br />
first part involves supporting work that enhances existing<br />
AGMA standards. Secondly, the foundation aims to fund the<br />
development of education and training so the industry can<br />
advance knowledge of the standards.<br />
“We’re changing our approach as well,” Seymour says.<br />
“In the past, we’ve just let people know we’re raising money.<br />
Now that we have identified two main areas—the development<br />
of science to support technical standards, and education and<br />
training—we can become more proactive based on need.<br />
We’ll be able to identify where needs are and then search for<br />
a way to sponsor the project.”<br />
Numerous programs fall under the foundation’s umbrella,<br />
and one of the most successful is the Detailed <strong>Gear</strong> Design<br />
Seminar. Seymour says the AGMA granted $6,000 to fund<br />
development of the course three years ago. Taught by Ray<br />
Drago, the class covers gear design; gear rating theory and<br />
analysis methods; differences in stress states among various<br />
surface durability failure modes; time-dependent and timeindependent<br />
failure modes; examination of mesh action and<br />
tooth iteration with computer-generated graphics; and AGMA<br />
standards. The seminar has three classes that sell out very<br />
quickly and a waiting list of participants for the January 2007<br />
class. Building on the success of the seminar, the foundation<br />
is providing $12,000 for a new <strong>Gear</strong>box Failure Seminar that<br />
will be presented in early 2007.<br />
One of the foundation’s most frequent collaborators is<br />
the Ohio State University’s <strong>Gear</strong>Lab. “OSU has historically<br />
had a great gear group and has always been a good partner<br />
for us,” says Seymour. The AGMA Foundation funded a biannual<br />
research project on hypoid gear efficiency and has<br />
published year one’s results on www.agmafoundation.org for<br />
interested parties to read free of charge. Year two results will<br />
be available in 2007.<br />
The foundation’s Workforce Education Program offers<br />
Internet-based interactive basic training courses in gears.<br />
Participants can take multi-level courses online and receive<br />
an AGMA certification for successful completion. Included in<br />
the nominal fee ($25 for Fundamentals of <strong>Gear</strong>ing, $150 for<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Inspection) is a study guide, sample exam, final exam<br />
and certificate.<br />
Fundamentals of <strong>Gear</strong>ing is a prerequisite to all other<br />
AGMA courses. <strong>Gear</strong> Inspection covers inspection methods<br />
and equipment.<br />
Other foundation projects include “Where You Want to<br />
Be,” a DVD presentation designed to recruit young people<br />
into the new gear industry. In addition the foundation funded<br />
a <strong>Gear</strong> Industry <strong>Technology</strong> Workshop. A full copy of the<br />
workshop is available on the foundation’s website. Cindy<br />
Bennett, executive director of the foundation, says the<br />
foundation has already exceeded its 2006 fundraising goals<br />
and is only in the middle of the campaign season. In 2005, the<br />
foundation raised $183,276 between both the fall campaign<br />
and the auction that is concurrent with AGMA’s annual<br />
meeting in the spring.<br />
“We want the members to know that we’re here and eager<br />
to match up your needs with the right providers and make<br />
good things happen for you,” concludes Seymour.<br />
Paulo Products Upgrades to<br />
ISO/TS 16949:2002<br />
The St Louis, MO facility of Paulo Products Co. passed its<br />
upgrade audit and has been awarded accreditation to ISO/TS<br />
16949:2002.<br />
Created by the International Automotive Task Force<br />
(IATF), ISO/TS 16949:2002 represents the technical standard<br />
requirements of the major automotive manufacturers around<br />
the world. ISO/TS 16949:2002 is required to continually<br />
measure, monitor, and improve, with an emphasis on<br />
preventing defects and reducing waste throughout the supply<br />
chain. In addition to this recent quality system upgrade,<br />
Paulo–St Louis is approved to the Ford HTX standard and has<br />
received the Ford “Preferred Supplier Award.”<br />
According to the company’s press release, Paulo–St Louis<br />
is the third Paulo facility to become accredited to ISO/TS<br />
16949:2002. Paulo–Nashville and Paulo–Murfreesboro, TN<br />
received accreditation to ISO/TS 16949:2002 in 2005. Other<br />
Paulo facilities are currently working toward receiving the<br />
ISO/TS 16949:2002 upgrade.<br />
5 8 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
What Can Take<br />
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ADVERTISER INDEX<br />
Use this index to contact any advertiser in this issue.<br />
ADVERTISER PAGE # PHONE E-MAIL INTERNET<br />
AGMA/<strong>Gear</strong> Expo 17 (703) 684-0211 gearexpo@agma.org www.gearexpo.com<br />
Aero <strong>Gear</strong> Inc. 22 (860) 688-0888 buygears@aerogear.com www.aerogear.com<br />
American Metal Treating Co. 62 (216) 431-4492 bruce@americanmetaltreating.com www.americanmetaltreating.com<br />
American Wera Inc. 11 (734) 973-7800 www.american-wera.com<br />
Arrow <strong>Gear</strong> Co. 4 (630) 969-7640 www.arrowgear.com<br />
A/W Systems Co. 6 (248) 524-0778<br />
Becker <strong>Gear</strong>Meisters Inc. 62 (734) 878-9669 maagmachines@yahoo.com www.maagmachines.com<br />
B&R Machine & <strong>Gear</strong> Corp. IBC (731) 456-2636, (800) 238-0651 inquiry@brgear.com www.brgear.com<br />
Clifford-Jacobs Forging Co. 63 (217) 352-5172 sales@clifford-jacobs.com www.clifford-jacobs.com<br />
Cole Manufacturing Systems Inc. 62 (248) 601-8145 dsmith@colemfgsystems.com www.colemfgsystems.com<br />
Comtorgage Corp. 12 (401) 765-0900 kgradolf@comtorgage.com www.comtorgage.com<br />
De Ci Ma 57 +(39) (051) 611-7889 www.decimaspa.it<br />
Eldec Induction USA Inc. 62 (248) 364-4750 mail@eldec-usa.com www.eldec.de<br />
Engineered Tools Corp. 8 (248) 619-1616 rdeneau@engineeredtools.com www.engineeredtools.com<br />
Fässler Corp. 13 (414) 769-0072 usa@faessler-ag.ch www.faessler-ag.ch<br />
GE Plastics 10 (800) 845-0600 gelit@ge.com www.geplastics.com<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> Motions Inc. 61 (315) 488-0100 sales@nixongear.com www.gearmotions.com<br />
The <strong>Gear</strong> Works—Seattle Inc. 61 (206) 762-3333 sales@thegearworks.com www.thegearworks.com<br />
Gleason Corp. OBC (585) 473-1000 dmelton@gleason.com www.gleason.com<br />
Gleason Cutting Tools Corp. 62 (815) 877-8900 dmelton@gleason.com www.gleason.com<br />
Global <strong>Gear</strong> & Machining LLC 61 (630) 969-9400 info@globalgearllc.com www.globalgearllc.com<br />
Index Technologies 62 (440) 895-4627 www.gallenco.com<br />
Insco Corp. 55 (978) 448-6368 sales@inscocorp.com www.inscocorp.com<br />
Kapp Technologies 3 (303) 447-1130 info@kapp-usa.com www.kapp-usa.com<br />
KISSsoft USA LLC 20 (815) 363-8823 dan.kondritz@kisssoft.com www.kisssoft.com<br />
Kleiss <strong>Gear</strong>s 61 (715) 463-5995 x105 kleiss@kleissgears.com www.kleissgears.com<br />
Koepfer America LLC 63 (847) 931-4121 sales@koepferamerica.com www.koepferamerica.com<br />
LeCount Inc. 23 (800) 642-6713 sales@lecount.com www.lecount.com<br />
Leistritz Corp. 52 (201) 934-8262 staff@leistritzcorp.com www.leistritz.com<br />
Magnum Induction 24 (810) 364-5270 tom@magnuminduction.com www.magnuminduction.com<br />
mG mini<strong>Gear</strong>s 21 (757) 627-4554 minigears@minigears.com www.minigears.com<br />
Midwest <strong>Gear</strong> & Tool Inc. 51 (586) 779-1300 midwestgear@sbcglobal.net<br />
N.A. Woodworth 52 (800) 544-3823 www.itwworkholding.com<br />
Overton <strong>Gear</strong> & Tool Corp. 22 (630) 543-9570 sales@overtongear.com www.overtongear.com<br />
powertransmission.com 59 (847) 437-6604<br />
ryanking@powertransmission.com www.powertransmission.com<br />
Precision Gage Co. Inc. 51 (630) 655-2121 sales@precisiongageco.com www.precisiongageco.com<br />
Presrite Corp. 62 (216) 441-5990 www.presrite.com<br />
Process Equipment Co. 63 (800) 998-4191, (937) 667-7105 msdsales@processeq.com www.gearinspection.com<br />
Proto Manufacturing 20 (519) 737-6330 www.protoxrd.com<br />
The Purdy Corp. 14 (860) 649-0000 finance@purdytransmissions.com www.purdytransmissions.com<br />
Quality Transmission Components 23 (516) 437-6700 www.qtcgears.com<br />
Reishauer Corp. 62 (847) 888-3828 reishauer-us@reishauer.com www.reishauer.com<br />
Riverside Spline & <strong>Gear</strong> 61 (810) 765-8302 valerief@splineandgear.com www.splineandgear.com<br />
Schafer <strong>Gear</strong> Works Inc. 15 (574) 234-4116 www.schafergear.com<br />
Schnyder S.A. 24 (630) 595-7333 hanikcorp@aol.com www.hanikcorp.com<br />
SETCO 16 (800) 543-0470 sales@setcousa.com www.setcousa.com<br />
The Shot Peener <strong>magazine</strong> 57 (800) 832-5653, (574) 256-5001 www.shotpeener.com<br />
Sigma Pool 5 (734) 429-7225 info.lgt@liebherr.com www.sigma-pool.com<br />
Star SU LLC IFC, 1 (847) 649-1450 sales@star-su.com www.star-su.com<br />
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument 61 (516) 328-3300 www.sdp-si.com/e-store<br />
teamtechnik USA 27 (678) 957-0334 application.usa@teamtechnik.com www.teamtechnik.com<br />
Ticona 31 (800) 833-4882 www.ticona.com<br />
United Tool Supply 55 (800) 755-0516 unitedtool1@aol.com<br />
6 0 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • www.geartechnology.com • www.powertransmission.com
We are your job shop<br />
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Riverside Spline & <strong>Gear</strong><br />
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Ph: (810) 765-8302<br />
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Contact:<br />
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ISO 9001:2000 Registered<br />
A Tradition of Quality Since 1963<br />
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GEAR MANUFACTURING<br />
WHEN IT HAS TO BE RIGHT<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Grinding to 94"<br />
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GE<br />
IMS Global <strong>Gear</strong> & Machining<br />
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Global <strong>Gear</strong> & Machining LLC<br />
2500 Curtiss Street<br />
Downers Grove, IL 60515<br />
Ph: 630.969.9400<br />
Fax: 630.969.1736<br />
PAIR<br />
Custom <strong>Gear</strong> Services Since 1946<br />
ISO-9001<br />
w w w. t h e g e a r wo r k s . c o m<br />
The <strong>Gear</strong> Works—Seattle, Inc.<br />
500 S. Portland Street<br />
Seattle, WA 98108-0886<br />
Phone: (206) 762-3333<br />
Fax: (206) 762-3704<br />
E-mail: sales@thegearworks.com<br />
info@globalgearllc.com<br />
www.globalgearllc.com<br />
715-463-5995 x105<br />
www.kleissgears.com<br />
kleiss@kleissgears.com<br />
Rates—Display Classified: 3" minimum: 1X—$425, 3X—$400 per insertion, 6X—$375 per<br />
insertion. Color Classified: Add $25 per insertion for color. <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> will set type to<br />
advertiser’s layout or design a classified ad at no extra charge. Payment: Full payment must<br />
GEAR MOTIONS, INC.<br />
Learn about one of the most modern<br />
fleets of <strong>Gear</strong> Grinders, including the<br />
new Höfler 700 at Oliver <strong>Gear</strong>.<br />
See the<br />
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at ISO 9001-2000 registered Nixon<br />
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as well as the latest in CNC <strong>Gear</strong><br />
Hobbing and cellular manufacturing.<br />
www.gearmotions.com<br />
w.gearmotions.co<br />
m<br />
www.gearmotions.com<br />
accompany classified ads. Send check drawn in U.S. funds on a U.S. bank or Visa/MasterCard<br />
number and expiration date to <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, P.O. Box 1426, Elk Grove Village, IL 60009.<br />
Agency Commission: No agency commission on classified ads. Materials Deadline: Ads must<br />
be received by the 7th of the month, one month prior to publication. Acceptance: Publisher<br />
reserves the right to accept or reject advertisements at his discretion.<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 6 1
SERVICE<br />
Finally!<br />
A Basic School for Non-Experts!<br />
Do you have people who are new to GEARS?<br />
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know more about GEARS?<br />
Cole Manufacturing Systems, Inc offers a beginning<br />
gear training course designed to your exact needs.<br />
• Terminology of <strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
• <strong>Gear</strong> Functions and Basic Formulae<br />
• Manufacturing Methods Inspection Methods<br />
• Interpretation of Inspection Data<br />
• Applying Inspection to Correct Problems<br />
The course can be on-site, in your plant or training facility<br />
or off-site at a nearby facility. We come to you!<br />
(248) 601-8145 FAX (248) 601-0505<br />
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6 2 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m
SERVICE<br />
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GEAR TECHNOLOGY The Journal of <strong>Gear</strong> Mfg. 0 7 4 3 _ 6 8 5 8 9-19-06<br />
4. Issue Frequency 5. Number of Issues Published Annually 6. Annual Subscription Price<br />
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(Carriers or other means)<br />
PS Form 3526, October 1999 (Reverse)<br />
Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541<br />
(Include advertiser's proof and exchange copies)<br />
Total Free Distribution (Sum of 15d. and 15e.)<br />
Total Distribution (Sum of 15c. and 15f)<br />
Copies not Distributed<br />
Total (Sum of 15g. and h.)<br />
Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on<br />
Form 3541. (Include advertiser's proof and exchange copies)<br />
Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,<br />
Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution<br />
(4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS<br />
(1)<br />
(2)<br />
(3)<br />
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541<br />
In-County as Stated on Form 3541<br />
Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS<br />
Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation<br />
(15c. divided by 15g. times 100)<br />
17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner<br />
Average No. Copies Each Issue<br />
During Preceding 12 Months<br />
16. Publication of Statement of Ownership<br />
Publication required. Will be printed in the ________________________ Nov-Dec 2006 issue of this publication.<br />
Michael Goldstein / Publisher<br />
Instructions to Publishers<br />
No. Copies of Single Issue<br />
Published Nearest to Filing Date<br />
Date<br />
Publication not required.<br />
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form<br />
or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions<br />
(including civil penalties).<br />
1. Complete and file one copy of this form with your postmaster annually on or before October 1. Keep a copy of the completed form<br />
for your records.<br />
2. In cases where the stockholder or security holder is a trustee, include in items 10 and 11 the name of the person or corporation for<br />
whom the trustee is acting. Also include the names and addresses of individuals who are stockholders who own or hold 1 percent<br />
or more of the total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities of the publishing corporation. In item 11, if none, check the<br />
box. Use blank sheets if more space is required.<br />
3. Be sure to furnish all circulation information called for in item 15. Free circulation must be shown in items 15d, e, and f.<br />
4. Item 15h., Copies not Distributed, must include (1) newsstand copies originally stated on Form 3541, and returned to the publisher,<br />
(2) estimated returns from news agents, and (3), copies for office use, leftovers, spoiled, and all other copies not distributed.<br />
5. If the publication had Periodicals authorization as a general or requester publication, this Statement of Ownership, Management,<br />
and Circulation must be published; it must be printed in any issue in October or, if the publication is not published during October,<br />
the first issue printed after October.<br />
6. In item 16, indicate the date of the issue in which this Statement of Ownership will be published.<br />
7. Item 17 must be signed.<br />
12,702 13,326<br />
9,491 10,368<br />
422 543<br />
Failure to file or publish a statement of ownership may lead to suspension of Periodicals authorization.<br />
<br />
<br />
9,912 10,911<br />
1,369 145<br />
<br />
<br />
1,205 1,870<br />
2,574 2,015<br />
12,487 12,926<br />
215 400<br />
12,702 13,326<br />
80 % 84.41 %<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
9/19/06<br />
w w w . p o w e r t r a n s m i s s i o n . c o m • w w w . g e a r t e c h n o l o g y . c o m • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 6 3
ADDENDUM<br />
Galleria<br />
<strong>Gear</strong>s<br />
For those of us in the gear industry, the concept of gear design<br />
is all about involutes, ratios and diameters.<br />
Alexander Kirberg has a different vision of gear design,<br />
and his creativity brought him to the forefront of Sigma Pool’s<br />
competition to show gears in a different light. With the contest,<br />
Sigma Pool hoped to acquire a visually unique piece to display<br />
artwork that would energize visitors at their EMO booth.<br />
Kirberg was a photography student at Fachhochschule<br />
Dortmund and was the winner among the 14 participants from his<br />
class selected to create new and artistic ways of seeing gears.<br />
The then 27-year-old student used mechanical processing to<br />
dramatize his black-and-white photography to the point where<br />
it resembled classical painting. Kirberg hoped viewers could<br />
optically experience the power of gearing.<br />
“My pictures orientate themselves to the original colors of the<br />
company in order to later achieve presentation and correlation.<br />
<strong>Gear</strong> cutting—thematically seen—results from the combined or<br />
overlapped arrangement of photography,<br />
technical drawing and corporate design,”<br />
he explains.<br />
Unlike the design students vying for<br />
the top spot on “Project Runway,” the<br />
winners of the Sigma Pool contest didn’t<br />
get a chance to sell their line at Macy’s.<br />
But he did find himself 2000 DM richer<br />
and his work exposed to EMO’s audience<br />
of thousands of the most discerning gear<br />
designers anywhere.<br />
Tell Us What You Think . . .<br />
Send e-mail to wrs@geartechnology.com to<br />
• Rate this article<br />
• Make a suggestion<br />
Or call (847) 437-6604<br />
to talk to one of our editors!<br />
6 4 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 • G E A R T E C H N O L O G Y • www.geartechnology.com • www.powertransmission.com
CUSTOM<br />
BEVEL GEAR MANUFACTURING<br />
Per Your Specifications and/or Sample<br />
Providing Inverse Engineering to Make a Clone of Your Sample<br />
· Spiral Bevel <strong>Gear</strong>s: 66" PD<br />
· Straight Bevel <strong>Gear</strong>s: 80" PD<br />
· Spurs Helicals Spline Shafts<br />
· <strong>Gear</strong>box Repair/Rebuilds<br />
· In-House Steel Material Warehouse<br />
· Full Heat Treating Services<br />
· EDM Wire Burning<br />
BREAKDOWN<br />
SERVICES<br />
Machine and <strong>Gear</strong> Corporation<br />
4809 U.S. Highway 45 Sharon, TN 38255<br />
Toll Free: (800) 238-0651 Ph: (731) 456-2636 Fax: (731) 456-3073<br />
E-mail: inquiry@brgear.com Internet: www.brgear.com<br />
Family owned and operated since 1974